Xue was born in Wuxi to a family of intellectuals. Her mother encouraged her to pursue the arts, particularly dance. When the Beijing Dance Academy invited a ballet instructor from the Soviet Union to teach in 1956, Xue's mother took her to Beijing to audition. Although Xue had never danced ballet before, she passed three exams and was enrolled in the programme.[1]
Xue joined the National Ballet of China in 1963.[2] She was relatively unknown as a ballerina prior to being cast in Red Detachment of Women. It has been reported that Jiang Qing saw Xue perform and exclaimed that she reminded her of herself at that age, advising the troupe to give the dancer a role. Xue was first cast as the company commander, then as the lead Wu Qinghua (Chinese: 吴清华).[3] Alternatively, it has also been suggested that Zhou Enlai saw her perform as the company commander and recommended Xue be cast as the lead.[1]
The film version of the ballet was released in 1971 in China, five years into the Cultural Revolution. Xue starred opposite Liu Qingtang, who was cast as Hong Changqing. As one of the Eight model plays, the film was shown across the country in every cinema, every factory, and every village in the following several years until 1976 when the Cultural Revolution officially ended. As a consequence of the film, Xue achieved nationwide fame.[1] The role was quite demanding, as over half the film (42.25 minutes) featured Xue onstage, either performing solos, duets or ensemble pieces.[3]
When Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, visited China in 1972, he was entertained with a stage production of Red Detachment of Women, and Xue Jinghua performed as Wu Qinghua in the ballet.[4]
^ abc"【刘庆棠和薛菁华关系】芭蕾明星刘庆棠和薛菁华" [The relationship between Liu Qingtang and Xue Jinghua: Ballet stars Liu Qingtang and Xue Jinghua] (in Chinese). Mingren Wang. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
^ abHarris, Kristine (2010). "Re-makes/Re-models: The Red Detachment of Women between Stage and Screen". The Opera Quarterly. 26 (2–3): 316–342. doi:10.1093/oq/kbq015.
