Mei Lanfang's Collection of Old Photographs

Author: Mei Lanfang Memorial Hall
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: As one of the most outstanding performing art masters in 20th-century China, Mei Lanfang enjoyed high prestige both domestically and internationally. His reputation stemmed not only from the stage but also from all aspects of his life as an ordinary person, such as his domestic life, social interactions, general companions and famous friends, his early mentors and later disciples, and so on. These ordinary aspects of his life have long remained little-known yet are of greater interest and fascination to the world. Our book, Mei Lanfang's, selects exquisite photographs from the long-forgotten family collection, hoping to allow readers to appreciate these beautiful images while truly experiencing the life of a historical celebrity and catching a glimpse of the atmosphere of that era. Time flows like gold, and the distant past always lingers in our memories, evoking longing or even admiration. Our old photograph album is the shining part of those bygone days. In his lifetime, Mei Lanfang collected a vast number of photographs, covering personal albums, stage performances, family history, social gatherings, friendships, domestic life, gardens, and folk customs, among others. These photographs provide a relatively complete reflection of his artistic and life journey, as well as a true depiction of the era. In 1962, the year after Mei Lanfang's passing, his wife and children donated these precious photographs to the state, which were later well-preserved and utilized at the Mei Lanfang Memorial Hall. However, only a few of these old photographs have been published, and they are mostly focused on stage art. Photos related to Mei Lanfang's family, children, domestic life, and social gatherings are rarely seen and are often scarce, yet these are precisely the contents that could more authentically and intimately reflect the life of this historical figure. Therefore, the Mei Lanfang Memorial Hall has collaborated with the Foreign Languages Press to select over 280 photographs from the entire collection, organizing them into seven categories: Personal Collection, Family and Children Collection, Stage and Opera Friends Collection, Social Activities and Famous Figures Collection, Overseas Visits Collection, Domestic Life and Gardens Collection, and Era and Scenery Collection. This old photograph album is designed to bring readers both freshness and surprise. It not only brings them closer to the life of this historical figure, Mei Lanfang, but also to the world that each of us perceives every day.