Ma Yutao

Ma Yutao (; born February 1936) is a Chinese opera singer and military general. Ma has been a longtime member of the People's Liberation Army, and she represented the army in the National People's Congress. She holds the rank of lieutenant general.

Biography Ma Yutao was born in February 1936 in Baode, Shanxi. During her childhood, Ma was influenced by folk songs from Hequ. In 1950, at the age of fourteen, Ma enlisted in the People's Liberation Army as an actor, joining the Art Troupe. In 1955, she was reassigned to the Beijing Military Region Art Troupe, where she began practicing solo choral music. Ma attended the Shanghai Institute of Vocal Music in the late 1950s, studying under . Lin introduced her to "vocal music, folk songs and operas" from various Chinese musicians, including Chang Xiangyu and Wang Kun, as well as the traditional operatic style Hebei bangzi.

Ma is a soprano opera singer, with a timbre described as being "generous, bright, and mellow". As a singer for the PLA, Ma has performed at military and government events, for disaster relief programs, and in various symphonies.

Since joining the Chinese Communist Party in 1956, Ma has served in some political offices. From 1975 until 1978, she represented the PLA in the National People's Congress, and at some point was also a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Ma holds the rank of lieutenant general in the People's Liberation Army, the "highest rank in the entertainment industry in China".