Yi-Qi Zhou Cheng

Yi-Qi (pronounced “ee-chee”) Zhou Cheng, of Sandy, Utah, passed away peacefully on the morning of December 2, 2025. She was 86 years old. Yi-Qi was small in stature but fierce and bold in personality. She had personality for days and weeks, and she left an indelible mark in this world and on those that were lucky enough to know her. And if you were one of the really lucky ones, you were bestowed a flick on the head or a playful slap on the shoulder.

Yi-Qi was defined by her love for family, friends and the art of ballet, in which she spent a lifetime practicing and teaching others to master.

Yi-Qi was born on April 19, 1939 in Tianjin, China to Qi-Gui Zhou (father) and Song-Fang Sun (mother). She was the third of five children to her parents and the eldest of three daughters. She attended Yao Hua Elementary and Junior High schools in Tianjin, China. At a young age, she exhibited a knack and talent for ballet, and this resulted in her enrollment in and graduation from the Beijing Dance Academy. She magnified her love of the art into a lifelong career where she danced professionally for and taught at the National Ballet of China. After immigrating to the United States in the early 1980s, she continued her passion for coaching and training ballet artists, from young students to professional dancers at various private studios, professional ballet companies and universities.

Yi-Qi married Li-Chou Cheng (former husband) and, in 1975, welcomed their son, Lan-Lan (now Jordan) Cheng into the world. She existed to not only make the world more beautiful through dance but also to share her life experiences, hard work ethos and belief in doing the right thing with her family and those close to her. Yi-Qi was a spiritual person and possessed strong faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. She left this world feeling the love of God.

Yi-Qi is survived by her son, Jordan and daughter-in-law, Amy and her grandchildren, Caleb, Parker, Carson and Ella, who were great sources of joy in her life. She is also survived by her sister Yi-Yuan Zhou of China. She is predeceased by her mother, father, two brothers, Yi-Ji Sun and Zu-Da Zhou and sister, Yi-Lin Zhou.

A special thank you to the staff at Alta Ridge Assisted Living where Yi-Qi resided in her final months. The care, love and service you provided to her and her loved ones are exemplars for people caring for others through the most difficult of times and this family could not have done this without your help. Another thank you to the staff at Cedarwood at Sandy where Yi-Qi resided for the two years prior. You helped her to maintain a safe, fun and dignified life after she went through a life-altering physical challenge.

Memorial service will be held at 11:30 am MT on Friday, December 5, 2025 at Anderson & Goff Mortuary (11859 S. 700 E., Draper, UT 84020). A viewing will precede the memorial services from 10:00 am through 11:15 am MT. Interment for invited guests will be held at Larkin Sunset Gardens (1950 E. 10600 S., Sandy, UT 84092) following the memorial service.

In lieu of sending flowers, the family prefers that you make a donation to support the arts at:

https://www.dance.utah.edu/give; or

https://dance.byu.edu/support-dance

The funeral services will be streamed live at:
https://evt.live/yi-qi-cheng