Mei Lanfang

Author: Beijing Publishing House
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-06-01
Features: Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) was a master of Chinese opera art and an outstanding Peking opera performer. He loved his country, his people, and the art, dedicating his entire life to the cultural cause of his nation. Born in Beijing in 1894, originally from Taizhou, Jiangsu, he began learning the arts at the age of eight and went on stage at eleven. Over more than half a century of stage practice, he respected tradition, excelled in inheritance, dared to innovate, and continuously enriched and improved his performing art. His innate qualities were not exceptional, but from his youth, he worked diligently, practiced assiduously, and drew from the strengths of others. He always treated art with seriousness, never becoming complacent, striving for excellence, and ultimately mastered the essence of his nation's opera art. His performance reached the pinnacle of the dan role, creating numerous beautiful and unforgettable artistic images.
He was a diligent and eager-to-learn actor. From his youth, he seriously studied classical literature, Chinese painting, ethnic music, ethnic dance, folk customs, phonology, and costume studies, integrating this knowledge into his art. Thus, he created many outstanding works, forming a unique artistic style known as the Mei School. He played a pivotal role in the development of modern Chinese opera art and was universally praised both domestically and internationally as a great actor and an embodiment of beauty.
Mei Lanfang was a lifelong patriot deeply revered by the people. During the period of Japanese imperialist aggression against China, he composed and performed patriotic works such as The Lady Mulan Serves in the Army, Resisting the Jin Troops, and Life and Death Hatred, inspiring people to fight against the enemy. Later, when he was trapped in enemy-occupied areas, he remained unyielding, refusing the threats and inducements of the enemy, growing a beard as a symbol of his resolve, and steadfastly refusing to perform for the enemy. He spent his wealth, selling books and antiques to sustain himself and support his struggling colleagues and new friends, fully demonstrating the noble qualities of a national-minded artist and an indomitable spirit that could not be bowed down by force.
After the founding of New China, he was elected as the Vice President of the Chinese Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Vice President of the China Theatre Association. He also served as the President of the Chinese Opera Research Institute, the Chinese Peking Opera Theater, and the Chinese Opera College. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to training new generations of middle-aged and young actors, and his students spread across the country. In his later years, he composed and performed Mu Guiying as a Military Commander, successfully portraying the image of an outstanding female hero.
Mei Lanfang was also a pioneer in introducing Peking opera to overseas audiences. He visited Japan three times in 1919, 1924, and 1956, the United States in 1930, the Soviet Union twice in 1935 and 1952, where he was highly acclaimed. Under his influence, Japanese actors emulated his dance, calling it "Mei Dance." His works such as The Goddess of Heaven Scatters Flowers, The of the Imperial Concubine, and The Crimson and Azure Pass were adapted and performed by Japanese Kabuki actors. His name became widely known in Japan.
The University of Southern California and Pomona College in the United States awarded him an honorary doctorate in literature in recognition of his efforts in introducing Eastern art, fostering relations between the Chinese and American peoples, and bridging world culture. The Soviet art master Stanislavsky praised his performance as "poetic, stylized realism." Mayakovsky, after watching his performance, rearranged his play The Scapegoat and explicitly noted "Dedicated to Mei Lanfang" as a sign of respect. The film art master Eisenstein filmed a segment of The Crimson and Azure Pass to showcase his exceptional performing skills and hailed him as "the greatest master of form." German playwright Brecht, in his 1936 essay On Chinese Opera and the Alienation Effect, excitedly noted that what he had long pursued and had yet to achieve was taken to an extremely high artistic level by Mei Lanfang.
Mei Lanfang's numerous overseas performances not only enhanced the understanding of Chinese culture and art among people of different countries but also brought Peking opera into the world of theater, inspiring many foreign theater artists. He also met many internationally renowned scholars, artists, playwrights, writers, singers, dancers, and painters, exchanging artistic ideas with them and establishing sincere friendships. Among these international friends, in addition to those already mentioned, were Maxim Gorky, Nemirovich-Danchenko, Chaliapin, Ulana Nepochataya, Stark Young, Velasco, Charlie Chaplin, Robertson, Van Dyke, Mary Pickford, Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis, George Bernard Shaw, Jean Maubry, Somerset Maugham, Gordon Craig, Piscator, Gracie Fields, Nora Phillips, Rabindranath Tagore, Nada Bors, Masakazu Matsumoto, Umezu Kazuko, Nakamura Kageyoji, Nakamura Sarumoye, Morita Kaname, Murata Yoshiko, Matsuo Kozo, and Ichikawa Zeno. It can be said that he made outstanding contributions throughout his life to promoting cultural exchange between China and the world.
Today, the Chinese opera performance art represented by Mei Lanfang is widely recognized as one of the three major important performance systems in the world. To commemorate the centennial of Mei Lanfang and to further promote the fine national culture and revitalize Peking opera, we have compiled and published this book Mei Lanfang as a gift to our readers. The book collects over a thousand rare images from our collection, striving to reflect his brilliant artistic journey and upright life through photographic records. We believe that after reading this book, readers will further appreciate Mei Lanfang as a symbol of Chinese performing art and a pride of the nation and its people. Mei Shaowu