Yan Su

Yan Su
阎肃
Yan Su (right) and his wife, Li Wenhui (left)
Born	Yan Zhiyang (Template:Zh) Baoding, Hebei, China
Died	Beijing, China
Alma mater	Chongqing Nankai School Chongqing University
OccupationTemplate:Pluralize from text	Lyricist, military officer
Years active	1953–2016
EmployerTemplate:Pluralize from text	Template:Pluralize from text
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Notable creditTemplate:Pluralize from text	Template:Pluralize from text
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Criminal chargeTemplate:Pluralize from text	Template:Pluralize from text
SpouseTemplate:Pluralize from text	Li Wenhui ​ ​ (m. 1961)​ Template:Pluralize from text
PartnerTemplate:Pluralize from text	Template:Pluralize from text
Children	2
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Musical career
Born
Died
Genres	Ethnic music, military song

Yan Su (Template:Zh; 9 May 1930 – 12 February 2016) was a Chinese playwright and lyricist who served as vice-president of China Theatre Association. He held the civilian rank equivalent to general in the PLA Air Force Political Department Song and Dance Troupe. He was a National Class-A Screenwriter. He was a member of China Writers Association and China Music Copyright Association. He was a visiting professor at Heibei Institute of Communications.

Biography

Yan Su was born Yan Zhiyang (Template:Zh) in Baoding, Hebei, on May 9, 1930. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he, then 10 years old, moved to Chongqing with his family. He attended Chongqing Nankai Secondary School and graduated from Chongqing University, majoring in business administration.

He joined the Communist Youth League during the Chinese Civil War and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1953. In 1950, he was transferred to Southwest Military Region Youth Song and Dance Troupe as an actor. He once performed in the front of Korean War. In 1955 he was transferred again to PLA Air Force Political Department Song and Dance Troupe.

He first rose to prominence in 1964 for playing in the opera Sister Jiang, earned critical acclaim, and he was personally interviewed by Chairman Mao Zedong. But two years later, in the Cultural Revolution, the song was labeled as "poisonous weed" and he was cast as a rightist.

In 1982, Journey to the West was broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV), the series reached number one in the ratings when it aired in China. The opening theme, Dare to Ask Where is the Road, was written by Yan Su. In 1986 he joined the China Writers Association.

In 2015, he was elected "moved China" Person of the Year 2015. On October 27, 2015, a military vocalist Yu Wenhua () made up a rumor on Sinaweibo - "Teacher Yan Su died of illness at PLA Air Force General Hospital in Beijing". Later, Yan's wife Li Wenhui said in an interview that her husband is alive and they will investigate the legal responsibility of the rumormonger. "My father has been into a deep coma after acute cerebral infarction for more than twenty days, at present, his situation is stable, it's fair to say that he had the potential to wake up, but risk is often with opportunities, thank you for asking." Yan Yu, son of Yan Su, said in response to questions from journalists. On February 12, 2016, Yan Su died at the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, in Beijing. At the time of his death, he was set to judge a CCTV talent show and art advisor of the CCTV New Year's Gala.

On January 7, 2018, unable to reach an agreement on the proportion of the income distribution of Yan Su's music copyright, Yan's wife and daughter sued his son to the court for property analysis of the music copyright enjoyed by the heir, ordering his wife to enjoy two-thirds and his daughter to enjoy one-sixth.

Personal life

Yan Su began dating Li Wenhui (Template:Zh) in 1959, they married in 1961, the couple have a son, Yan Yu (Template:Zh), and two grandsons.

Works

Important works in lyrics

• Dare to Ask Where is the Road (Template:Zh)
• Song Face Painting of Beijing Opera (Template:Zh)
• Beijing Is the Hometown (Template:Zh)
• Folk Song Beijing Life Style Life Used to Be (Template:Zh)
• Smoke and Mirrors (Template:Zh)
• My Love to the Blue Sky of Motherland (Template:Zh)
• Going To Sichuan (Template:Zh)
• Oriental Pearl Tower (Template:Zh)
• Great Wall Great (Template:Zh)
• I Am the Sky (Template:Zh)
• Guilin is My Home (Template:Zh)
• Face Changing (Template:Zh)
• Everything Goes Well (Template:Zh)
• Mission (Template:Zh)
• Celebrating the New Year in the Army (Template:Zh)

Opera

• Sister Jiang (Template:Zh)
• Daughter of the Party (Template:Zh)
• Special District Rondo (Template:Zh)
• Memories of Mother (Template:Zh)
• Three Chrysanthemum of Jiaodong (Template:Zh)
• Fourth Sister Liu (Template:Zh)

Beijing opera

• Red Rock (Template:Zh)
• The Red Detachment of Women (Template:Zh)
• May There Be Surplus Year After Year (Template:Zh)
• Armed Working Team Behind Enemy Lines (Template:Zh)
• Red Light (Template:Zh)

Awards

Year	Title	Award	Result	Notes
1964	My Love to the Blue Sky of Motherland Going To Sichuan	3rd PLA Arts Festival–Creative Excellence Award	Won
1977	Sister Jiang	4th PLA Arts Festival–Creative Excellence Award	Won
1979	Memories of Mother Red Light	30th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic–First Prize for Writing	Won
	Great Wall Great	Audience Special Award for Favorite Military Song in the 1990s	Won
	I Am the Sky	6th PLA Arts Festival–Creative Excellence Award	Won
	Guilin is My Home Face Changing	"Five-one Project" Award	Won
	Smoke and Mirrors	Audience Award for Favorite Song on TV in the 1990s	Won
	Everything Goes Well	1995 CCTV New Year's Gala–First Prize	Won
	Celebrating the New Year in the Army	2002 CCTV New Year's Gala–Audience Award for Favorite Work	Won
	Mission	2nd Military Song Gold Award	Won