Likun Yang

Yang Likun was born in a family of 11 children (she's number 9, hence the nickname "Xiaojiuer", i.e., "Little Nine"). She joined Yunnan Province Singing & Dancing Troupe at the tender age of 11. She had only appeared in two musicals, Five Golden Flowers (1958) and Ashima (1964), and yet she became Judy Garland of China at her time. Unfortunately, early fame brought her trouble during the Cultural Revoluation as she was accused for being anti-revolutionary, tortured and turned insane. She entered a mental hospital in 1970 when she was only 28 - and she was unable to return to show business after that. After her death, two tombs were erected in Shanghai and Kunming respectively, each burying half of her ashes.