Cao Peng (; born December 1925) is a Chinese conductor. Background and early career Cao Peng was born into one of the most influential families in the once thriving trading centre of Jiangyin, related both to Cao Yuyuan, the famous court censor of the late Qing, and more distantly to the great Cao family (of which the most famous scion was Cao Xueqin) that had risen in the world from the 18th century. Though the Chinese economy flirted with depression in his early years, and no region remain unaffected by the Guomindang-CCP conflicts, and later the war against Japan, Cao was able to enjoy a happy upbringing and a solid education in his hometown. Cao Peng showed early promise as a musician, winning first place at his local high school. He is an alumnus of the Nanjing () Middle School in Jiangyin, set up by the reformer Huang Tifang in the 1880s. Cao Peng stayed in the institution until 1945, working for the final three years as an underground member of the Chinese Communist Party, into which role he was first employed by a violinist friend. It was not until June, 1945 that Cao went open about his involvement with the party, enrolling in the Cultural Work Division of the New Fourth Army. Following the Communist victory of 1949, he was enrolled at the Huazhong Construction University, before later moving to the arts faculty of Shandong University to study conducting. Upon graduation, Cao conducted the music for over ten early Communist films, including an adaptation into film of Lao She's Longxu Gulley. It was not until 1955, however, that what he would later describe as a turning point in his career would occur, when Cao Peng won a scholarship to study at the Gnessin State Musical College. He would study here for five and a half eventful years. Moscow and the Mao years During his stay in Moscow, Cao Peng attended conducting masterclasses given by Leo Ginzburg, and began conducting the resident orchestra on regular occasions. In 1960, he gave the maiden overseas performance of the Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto, as part of the celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the establishment of government by the Communist party. In August, 1961, Cao returned to China, where he was appointed permanent conductor in residence for the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He has remained based in Shanghai for the past fifty years, taking