Méi Lánfāng

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Bust of Méi Lánfāng in Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum in Beijing

Méi Lánfāng (Traditional Chinese: 梅蘭芳; Simplified Chinese: 梅兰芳) (1894 - 1961) was one of the most famous Beijing or Peking opera artists in modern history, exclusively known for his qingyi roles, a type of dan role. Méi Lánfāng is his stage name, and in Chinese it is generally considered a feminine name. His real name is Méi Lán (Traditional Chinese: 梅瀾; Simplified Chinese: 梅澜).

Méi was born in 1894 into a family of Beijing Opera and Kūnqǔ performers. He had his stage debut at 11. In his 50-year stage career, he maintained strong continuity while always working on new techniques. His most famous roles were those of female characters; skillful portrayal of women won him international acclaim, and his smooth, perfectly timed, poised style has come to be known in opera circles as the “Méi School.” He also played an important part in continuing the performance tradition of Kūnqǔ, noted particularly for his interpretations of Dù Lìniáng (杜丽娘; in The Peony Pavilion) and Bái Sùzhēn (白素贞; in Léifēng Temple).

Méi was the first artist to spread Beijing Opera to foreign countries, participating in cultural exchanges with Japan, the United States, and other regions. He was known to have toured the world, forming friendships with the western contemporaries of his day, including Charlie Chaplin. During his visit to Hollywood, he was also welcomed by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.

After 1949 he served as director of China Beijing Opera Theater, director of the Chinese Opera Research Institute, and vice-chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Besides his autobiography, Forty Years of Life on the Stage, several of his articles and essays have been published in The Collected Works of Mei Lanfang. Recordings of his best-known performances have been published in A Selection of Beijing Operas Performed by Mei Lanfang. In 2000, the story of his life was filmed in a documentary entitled The Worlds of Mei Lanfang. It has been rumoured that acclaimed director Chen Kaige is set to direct a film biography of his life.