Li plays the ruthless landlord Nan Batian in the ballet Red Detachment of Women during its premiere in 1964. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Li had made great contribution to the development of Chinese ballet. He also shared his vision about art playing an important role in the life of people. The missions of developing Chinese ballet and training homegrown ballet dancers had always been on his mind."

Feng says that Red Detachment of Women is still evolving since a new generation of ballet dancers perform the piece every year.

"We are proud that the ballet piece not only appeals to audiences in China, but is also well-received when we tour abroad," Feng says. "It portrays Chinese women in powerful roles that broke with the traditional image of weak women of the time. The spirit of the story is shared by women worldwide. It's the best example of telling a Chinese story through a Western art form."

Li, who was born in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, graduated from North China University, the predecessor of Renmin University of China, with a major in theater. He started working with the Central Academy of Drama as a dancer in 1954 and, that same year, he was enrolled to study ballet at the Beijing Dance School and started choreographing his original dance pieces.