A Plum Blossom Prize winner, Shi Yihong is considered a Peking opera superstar who not only excels in both vocal and acrobatic roles, but is always experimenting and expanding her repertoire despite resistance from conservative elements.
Some of Shi Yihong's best known roles include: Consort Yu (from The Hegemon-King Bids His Concubine Farewell), Yang Yuhuan, Mu Guiying, Kou Zhu, Li Qingzhao, Lady Mi, Esmeralda (from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame), Wang Zhaojun, Madame White Snake, Xiao Guiying (from The Qing Ding Pearl), Duchess Zhuang (from Zhang Yimou's You and Me), Du Liniang, and countless others.
In 1999, Shi Yihong starred in Tan Dun's The Gate, an orchestral theatre which debuted in Tokyo, Japan.
[1] In 2018, Yihong Theatre opened in Baoshan District, Shanghai.
[2] Shi Yihong starred in some Peking opera films and TV series based on stage productions, such as Exchanging a Leopard Cat for a Prince (1998 TV series), Farewell My Concubine (2014 film), and Li Qingzhao (2017 film).