Mei Lanfang's Autobiography

Author: Mei Shaowu / Mei Weidong (editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The text in the book is all collected from the words of Mei Lanfang himself, compiled together by Mei Lanfang's son, Mei Shaowu, and Mei Shaowu's son, Mei Weidong. It is a result of the collective effort of three generations of the Mei family. The content focuses on Mei Lanfang's youth, his studies, performances, creative work, and life experiences, accompanied by nearly 200 photographs from different historical periods and stages of his life. The text is simple yet intimate, with an authentic narration that brings the characters to life, making them vivid and relatable. It feels as if we can travel through time to watch the lively and vibrant stage performances they staged. This woman, who was elegant and graceful on stage—"more feminine than women themselves"—was handsome, scholarly, upright, and resolute in real life. Mei Lanfang's legendary life was so captivating and hard to put down! Mei Lanfang was a patriotic artist deeply revered by the people. During the period of Japanese imperialist aggression against China, he wrote and performed patriotic plays such as The Flowering Peony, Resisting the Jin Army, and Life and Death Hatred, inspiring the people's determination to resist the enemy and save the nation. Later, when he was trapped in enemy-occupied territory, he refused the threats and inducements of the enemy with unwavering integrity, grew a beard as a symbol of his resolve, and retired from the stage for eight years. He sold his property and used the proceeds to support himself and help his struggling colleagues and relatives, fully demonstrating the noble qualities of a national-minded artist and his fearless spirit of never surrendering in the face of adversity.