Wu Yili

Wu Yili (; 1931 – 20 April 2019), also known as Elaine Yi-Li Wu, was a Chinese-Singaporean classical pianist. A member of the first generation of Chinese pianists, she served as the first solo pianist of the China National Symphony Orchestra and arranged the piano accompaniment for the Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto. After suffering persecution during the Cultural Revolution, she moved to the United States before settling in Singapore. Following the release of two acclaimed albums in her old age, she was rediscovered by Chinese music lovers and became a social media sensation in her 80s.

Early life Mario Paci (second row centre) with his colleagues and students in Shanghai, 1945. In the front row are two of his youngest students: Wu Yili (front right) and Fou Ts'ong (front left).

Wu was born in 1931 into a prominent family in Shanghai, Republic of China, with her ancestral home in Heyuan, Guangdong province.

At age six, Wu heard Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu from an American movie, and became determined to learn to play the piano. She won the first prize in Shanghai Children's Piano Contest after playing for only a year, and began studying with the Shanghai-based Italian musician Mario Paci at the age of ten. She graduated from Shanghai Peicheng Girls' School . She gave a public performance in Singapore that year and was honoured with the World Outstanding Chinese Artist Award in June. Wu was forced to divorce him in order not to be implicated, but was still beaten by the Red Guards and suffered long-term injuries in her feet. She was 88.