Renowned singers Li Shuangjiang and his wife Meng Ge, attend the memorial service for artist Yan Su, Feb 18, 2016.[Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Born in 1930 as Yan Zhiyang in Baoding city of Hebei province, Yan Su graduated from Chongqing University. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1953 and served as the vice president of the China Theater Association.

Yan made his name through the opera Sister Jiang, which was a sensation when it was publicly performed in 1964. The play gained such fame that Yan Su was personally received by Chairman Mao Zedong.