Lu Qi, the Chinese actor who played Master Guan, the strict troupe teacher in the 1993 film Farewell My Concubine, died on November 1. Taiwan's United Daily News relayed the news, citing a Beijing Daily report.
United Daily News reported on November 1 that Lu Qi had died, citing Beijing Daily. He was 101 and was born in August 1925. As far as this paper could verify, no official announcement from his family or his theatre company has appeared, and the time and place of death are not confirmed.
광고 문의 · 300×250Lu Qi joined the Beijing People's Art Theatre in 1954 and worked as a national first-class actor, a veteran of Chinese spoken drama. He appeared mainly in stage plays such as Thunderstorm, Li Bai, The Wild Man and God's Favorite. Taiwanese outlets including United Daily News said he became widely known to the public as Chief Editor Chen in the TV series Editorial Department Stories.
Master Guan in ‘Farewell My Concubine’
His best-known film role is Master Guan in Farewell My Concubine, directed by Chen Kaige, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1993. In the film, Master Guan is the demanding troupe teacher of Cheng Dieyi (played by Leslie Cheung) and Duan Xiaolou (played by Zhang Fengyi). CTi News and others said his stern manner toward his apprentices left a strong impression on audiences.
After the news broke, Chinese-language internet users offered condolences, saying the strict teacher's presence will linger. This paper could not confirm specific tributes from colleagues or institutions, and funeral arrangements have not been made public.
The film's significance, from a decade when Chinese-language cinema drew global attention, remains considerable. The death of an actor who moved between stage and screen is a reminder that a generation of Chinese-language performing arts is gradually passing. This paper will report further once an official obituary is issued.
