Plum Blossom Prize

The Plum Blossom Prize (Traditional Chinese: 中國戲劇梅花獎; Simplified Chinese: 中国戏剧梅花奖; Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōngguó Xìjù Méihuā Jiǎng), sometimes translated as the Plum Blossom Award, is the highest theatrical award in China. It is awarded by the China Theatre Association.

In 1994, the China Theatre Association began awarding Second Plum Blossom Prizes to distinguished performers who had already won the prize once. In 2002, the Association began the policy of awarding the Plum Blossom Grand Prize to performers who had won the prize twice previously and continued to be active and innovative in the field. 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. The Plum Blossom Prize has been awarded every two years since 2005, as opposed to every year as it was previously. 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. Beginning in 2009, the selection process for the Plum Blossom Prize was changed into a televised competition among fifty hopefuls.

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".

The Plum Blossom Prize has been awarded in 25 rounds as of 2011, with multiple people receiving the award in each round.

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