Master of Peking Opera Mei Lanfang

Mei Lanfang,  opera-beijing.com

Mei Lanfang (1894 – 1961) was one of the most celebrated artists in the history of Peking opera. His specialty was qingyi – a young to middle-aged female singing role.

He was responsible for the worldwide recognition of Peking opera as an exquisite form of performing arts.

Mei is considered the first of the Four Great Dans – Dan meaning Peking opera artist in a female role – in the early 20th century, widely regarded as the golden age of the art form. The other three were Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng.

A family of operatic talent

He was so popular that an honorary Doctorate was conferred on him by the University of Southern California.

Born Mei Lan in Beijing, he later adopted his stage name Lanfang. He came from a strong lineage of Peking opera artists, with a famous qingyi grandfather, Mei Qiaoling. His parents passed away when he was a young child, and he was raised by his uncle, a Peking opera instrumentalist.

He started learning Peking opera when he was eight, and made his stage debut at 10. At the age of 19, he shot to fame performing the opera Mukezhai in Shanghai. The key to his success was his solid training in body movement, which he refined to perfection, coupled with soulful interpretations of his roles, which he created to improve on the hitherto perfunctory rendition of characters. Mei was credited with combining singing and acting into a uniquely artistic style – the Mei style.

International fame

Mei Lanfang

Mei’s first tour in Japan was in 1919. In 1924, he returned to Japan to perform at charity concerts as part of the relief effort in the aftermath of the Great Kanto Earthquake. In 1930, he was invited to tour the US, covering Seattle, Chicago, Washington, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

He was so popular that an honorary Doctorate was conferred on him by the University of Southern California. 

Among his foreign acquaintances were such showbiz luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mary Pickford. His art also left a strong impression on German dramatist Bertolt Brecht.

Passive resistance in wartime

He moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong in 1938. During the Japanese occupation in the Second World War, Mei refused to perform for the Japanese military and grew a moustache. His defiance resulted in his assets being frozen so that he and his family were caught up in dire financial straits. Yet he persisted and eked out a living by selling his paintings.

He returned to the stage only after the war ended in 1945. In 1951, he moved back to Beijing. In 1956, he visited Japan again to enthusiastic reception. The great master died in 1961 at the age of 66. His life has inspired Chen Kaige, the director of Farewell My Concubine fame, to make the 2008 biopic Forever Enthralled.


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