Peng Liyuan – An Immense Role Model
By Thuren
Born in Shandong Province in 1962, Peng Liyuan is a famous soprano, a professor of music and an opera performer. She is Vice Chairperson of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Vice Chairperson of the Chinese Musicians’ Association.
Peng Liyuan is also professor and PhD supervisor at the China Conservatory. Actively involved in public undertakings, she currently serves as the Voluntary Advocate for AIDS and tuberculosis control and prevention for the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission.
In 2014, Peng Liyuan was nominated as a UNESCO Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education. The UNESCO Director-General at the time, Irina Bokova, said Peng Liyuan was named in recognition “of her commitment to empowering girls and women through quality education, her outstanding contribution to fighting inequalities in education, her devoted service to human development and creativity, and her dedication to the ideals and aims of the Organization.”
Addressing Peng Liyuan during the nomination ceremony, the Director General said “The education of girls and women is a basic right, and the best possible investment for human development. To succeed, we need role models, and you are an immense role model for millions of young girls in China and beyond.”
Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan married in September 1987.
Before becoming China’s First Lady, Peng Liyuan was already a star known by millions across China.
A renowned folk singer, she joined the People’s Liberation Army at 18 and later rose to the rank of major general. She also became famous for performing at the Chinese New Year Gala and on major national stages.
In this clip, Peng Liyuan performs “The North Wind Blows,” one of China’s best-known songs linked to its theatrical and cultural heritage. https://t.co/Wap0DcSYiU
— China pulse 🇨🇳 (@Eng_china5) September 26, 2026
This is wonderful!
Please feature more of these gems, Thuren. We need them.
Thank-you Thuren, I am glad we are acknowledging this very accomplished and beautiful woman. Initially she was so well known, that often the local people referred to Xi Jinping as Peng Liyuan’s husband.