Peng Liyuan is a Chinese singer who has served as first lady of China since 2012, when her husband, Xi Jinping, became general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. She rose to fame in the early 1980s with the song "On the Hopeful Fields" and went on to record many songs, including theme songs for television series. Her performances earned her China's highest theatre honour, the Plum Blossom Award, in 1986, and in 2014 Forbes listed her among the most powerful women in the world.
Early career
Born in Shandong Province, Peng was trained in folk vocal music at the China Conservatory of Music, where she studied under the singer Jin Tielin. Her performances at the CCTV New Year's Gala in 1982 brought her national attention. In 1985 she appeared in a production of The White-Haired Girl and received the Plum Blossom Award. She later joined the People's Liberation Army and performed for troops in various settings, and in 2005 she sang a Chinese opera at Lincoln Center in New York.
Public roles
Peng held several positions beyond performing, including vice president of the All-China Youth Federation from 2005 to 2010 and president of the People's Liberation Army Academy of Art from 2012 to 2017. In 2007 the Ministry of Health appointed her as a national ambassador for tuberculosis prevention and treatment, a role in which she has regularly taken part in public campaigns.