The Plum Blossom Award was founded in 1983 by Liu Housheng, Vice President of the China Theatre Association, and his colleagues.
[6] There have been four winners of that award to date: Shang Changrong in 2002, Song Guofeng and Mao Weitao in 2007, and Pei Yanling in 2009.
[5] Due to the promulgation of the "Administration of Art, Journalism, and Publishing Awards" circular by the Ministry of Culture in 2005, the number of such awards was reduced, and the Plum Blossom Prize was combined with another prize.
[7] Beginning in 2009, the selection process for the Plum Blossom Prize was changed into a televised competition among fifty hopefuls.
[8] In 1992, actress Song Dandan refused to accept the Plum Blossom Prize that she had been awarded because of what she called "the scandal of corruption and lies behind the selection process".