Chen Ailian plays the leading role in the dance drama Sword in 1981, which was produced by the China National Opera& Dance Drama Theater. PENG ZHANGQING/FOR CHINA DAILY

TV appearance

Last year, Chen Ailian performed as a guest on the reality show Dance Smash, produced by Hunan Satellite TV. Paired with 28-year-old dancer Liu Jia, she impressed the audience, especially the younger members, with her professional technique at age 80.

On Saturday, Liu posted on his Sina Weibo account: "Her performance just took everyone's breath away. She showed me that a dancer can transcend the age barrier.

"I was impressed by her passion for dancing when I worked with her on Dance Smash. She had badly injured her waist, but she still danced hard during the rehearsal."

Liu also posted a photo of himself and Chen Ailian sitting on the floor of the rehearsal room.

Dancer Li Xiang said: "I worked with Chen Ailian a couple of times and she always encouraged me with her positive comments and was keen to share her experience. I could feel her love for young dancers."

Chen Ailian said in an interview in 2017 that Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso, who died last year at age 98, was her idol.

In 2002, Alonso led her company, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, to perform in Beijing.

Chen Ailian said: "I admire those who pursue their passion despite their age. I still have many ideas about choreographing new dance dramas and for my school. Even if one day I am unable to stand, I can still dance in my mind."

In 2018, to mark her lifetime achievement, Chen Ailian featured in the fashion magazine Marie Claire China, along with seven other senior celebrities, including singer-actress Rebecca Pan, conductor Zheng Xiaoying and actress Lisa Lu.

Each of them, dressed in luxury fashion brands, made rare appearances to share their stories.

Asked in an interview with the magazine what she would tell her younger self, Chen Ailian said: "I've worked hard and I can say that I've realized my career dream. It's nice to be young and it's good to be mature."

In an article published by Guangming Daily on Sept 2, in which she looked ahead to 2022, which would have marked the 70th anniversary of her career, she said, "I look forward to the year 2022 and I want to perform the leading role in the dance drama Princess Wencheng again."

Princess Wencheng was premiered by the China National Opera& Dance Drama Theater in 1979 to mark the 30th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

It is based on the legendary story of a Tang Dynasty princess who traveled a vast distance to marry Tibetan patriarch Songtsen Gampo to strengthen ties between Tibetans and Han Chinese in the year 640.

Chen Ailian played the leading role of Princess Wencheng, with the production winning national awards after it premiered.