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and other standards of the classical Chinese opera repertoire. The Chinese Ministry of Culture recognized her as one of the country’s finest young Kunqu actors.

In 1998, Qian Yi was cast in the lead role of Lincoln Center Festival’s epic 19-hour production of The Peony Pavilion. The production toured internationally, playing at major international festivals in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. Her performance has been widely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, garnering such superlatives as “radiant” (New York Times), “incomparable” (Wall Street Journal) and “spellbinding” (New York Magazine).

Since coming to the U.S., she has starred in numerous re-workings of Chinese opera for a western theater context, including Ghost Lovers (Spoleto USA), The Orphan of Zhao (Lincoln Center) and Snow in June (American Repertory Theater). In addition, she has been exploring western theater, working with directors such as Meredith Monk and Karin Coonrad. In 2008, she will have her western opera premiere, singing a leading role in the San Francisco Opera’s new production of Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter's Daughter

In film, Qian Yi starred in Alexander Ku’s Triple 8 Palace, an independent short film which received Official Selection at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Qian Yi also appeared in Dark Matter, an independent feature starring Meryl Streep and Liu Ye. In her latest role, Qian Yi stars in The Years Flow Like Water, another independent short currently in post-production.

Qian Yi has written two plays, A Robe for the Moon which was performed at the Kennedy Center Page to Stage New Play Festival and Fox Spirit, which is currently in workshop development.

Qian Yi continues to perform Chinese opera. Most recently, she starred in the Contemporary Legend Theatre’s The Butterfly Dream, which premiered at Taiwan’s National Theater as part of its 20th anniversary celebration. She also starred in The Eternal Palace, which was performed in venues across the United States including the Smithsonian Freer+Sackler Galleries. In addition to these performances, she has brought her knowledge of Chinese traditional theater to American audiences in an academic context. She taught Chinese Opera movement at Barnard College, Columbia University and has given numerous lectures and demonstrations at universities and museums around the country.