Jing Yidan, a veteran journalist and a familiar face to generations of Chinese TV viewers, has passed away.
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The longtime China Central Television host’s daughter, Wang Erqing, confirmed to The Chinese Herald and China Daily that her mother died Sept. 13 following an “acute cerebral hemorrhage” in June.
The beloved TV host suffered the hemorrhage in Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, her hometown. She was transferred to a hospital in Beijing, where she later passed away.
Born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, in 1955, Jing Yidan studied broadcasting and journalism at the Beijing Broadcasting Institute (now called the Communication University of China). She joined China Central Television (CCTV) in 1988, working as a reporter, editor, and host.
She went on to host a slew of shows for the network, including Economy Half Hour, Focus Report, Oriental Horizon, and News Probe. She also headlined one of the network’s most high-profile shows, Touching China.
Jing Yidan turned her attention to more hard-hitting journalism with Focus Report in 1993. She remained with the program through 2013.
Starting in 2002, she began hosting the Touching China Person of the Year award, an honor she held for nearly 20 years.
Jing Yidan was 71.