Ouyang Yuqian is the founding president of the Central Academy of Drama, the first higher educational institution of drama in the country. He was born in Liuyang City of Hunan Province, performed in Changsha after graduation and began to gain fame.
Ouyang has many titles: playwright, Peking Opera actor and writer, film screenwriter and director, and drama educator. To honor his artistic achievements, the local government raised fund to build the Ouyang Yuqian Grand Theater in Liuyang City, which was opened in 2002.