In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

Dancer Chen Ailian (60), prepares for her comeback. In her youth, Chen was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

In her youth, Chen Ailian (60), was known as the 'Queen of Chinese Dance', and won four gold medals in an international competition. But in 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, she was forced to abandon her career and to go and live in the country. Returning to the profession in the 1980s, she opened a private academy to promote Chinese dance. In 1999 she made a stage comeback, taking the leading role, of a 15-year-old girl, in the classical dance Dreams of the Red Mansion. Fans were enthusiastic, but the physical demands of the role, and a tour that covered a city a day, took their toll.

General News - 1st prize