Mei Lanfang's American Tour Peking Opera Illustrations

Author: Wang Zhangwu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Mei Lanfang was an outstanding Peking Opera dan actor and a world-class artistic master of the 20th century. He visited Japan three times in 1919, 1924, and 1956, the United States in 1930, the Soviet Union twice in 1935 and 1952. Each of his tours was highly acclaimed, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for Chinese opera and Chinese culture across various regions, making outstanding contributions to promoting cultural exchange between China and the world. Both domestically and internationally, Mei Lanfang was hailed as the embodiment of beauty. Before Mei Lanfang's visit to the United States, realistic theater in Europe had reached its peak. Westerners had little knowledge of Eastern theater, especially Chinese opera culture. Mei Lanfang's visit to the United States brought the magical Eastern theater to the Western world. Western theater directors, inspired by Mei Lanfang's poetic and artistic performances, grasped the charm of Chinese opera and glimpsed the future direction of world theater. In traditional Chinese concepts, opera actors were called "," and opera was seen as "." The revolutionary faction of the "New Culture Movement" also harshly criticized Chinese opera. But what the Western theater enthusiasts did not expect was that Americans not only greatly admired traditional Chinese theater art but also awarded Mei Lanfang a Doctor of Letters degree from Pomona College and the University of Southern California.