Her signature roles include: a cheerful eel who admires the human life, and a woman who is forced to marry a wealthy man while her husband is away from home.
In "Good Woman, Bad Woman", she is cast as both the kind woman Shen Dai, and her shrewd male cousin Sui Da.
In 2002, Cui Guangli won the highest honor for opera in China, the Plum Blossom, for her portrayal of a vivacious fairy who longs for the human life, and her graceful singing and acting as Qian Yulian, who chooses death after being forced by her stepmother to remarry.
Cui Guangli said, “The charm of Sichuan opera exists in its unique characteristics, although it bears similarity to other operas. When you listen to some other operas, you expect the tune to reach a very high note, the climax, but they don't. They are born to be mild and gentle. But Sichuan opera is not the case. It can be very gentle and restrained, it also can be very thrilling, with very high pitched tones.”
In 2006, Cui's acting career reached another peak. This time as Ma Wu Niang, the spicy, ridiculous wife of a local tyrant, in "Yi Dan Da".
Although Ma Wu Niang is a minor role, Cui stole the spotlight.
This energetic role won her critical acclaim and many new fans. It also brought her another distinguished national award in opera, the Wen Hua Award.
Liao Quanjing, chairman, Sichuan Dramatists Association, said, "In 'Yi Dan Da', Cui′s portrayal of Ma Wu Niang creatively used some moves of some female clown roles in some traditional Sichuan opera repertoire. That role was very vivid and successful.
