Méi Lánfang
Encyclopedia
Mei Lanfang (October 22, 1894 – August 8, 1961) was one of the most famous Beijing (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 was Méi Lán . Mei, Shang Xiaoyun
(尚小云), Cheng Yanqiu
(程砚秋) and Xun Huisheng
(荀慧生) were known as Four Great Dan in the golden era of Peking Opera.
in 1894 into a family of Beijing Opera and Kūnqǔ
performers. He made his stage debut at the Guanghe Theatre
in 1904 when he was 10 years old. 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 Leifeng Pagoda
) and Beauty Yu (in Farewell My Concubine
). Mei's famous portrayal of Beauty Yu was so historically moving that he was dubbed one of the greatest vocal artists in modern China.
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 toured the world, forming friendships with the western contemporaries of his day, including Charlie Chaplin
. In 1930 he toured North America, visiting Hollywood, where he welcomed by Douglas Fairbanks
and Mary Pickford
. In 1935, Mei toured Europe, playing to appreciative audiences in Berlin and Moscow. Seeing Mei perform especially impressed the German playwright Bertold Brecht and influenced his concept of the alienation effect
.
In July 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident
occurred. The Imperial Japanese Army
soon occupied Beijing
. The commander of the Japanese Army ordered Mei to perform for them and appointed Mei to a high rank official position. But Mei refused to sing throughout the duration of the war and endured an impoverished lifestyle until the war ended in 1945.
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. Acclaimed director Chen Kaige
directed Forever Enthralled, a film biography of Mei's life, released in December 2008.
Beijing opera
Peking opera or Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court...
artists in modern history, exclusively known for his qingyi roles, a type of dan
Dan (Chinese opera)
Dan is the general name for female roles in Chinese opera, often referring to leading roles. There are a few different kinds of dan in Chinese opera. The commonly seen ones are 'Guimen Dan', 'Hua Dan', 'Daoma Dan', 'Wu Dan', 'Lao Dan' and 'Cai Dan'...
role. Méi Lánfāng is his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, and in Chinese it is generally considered a feminine name. His real name was Méi Lán . Mei, Shang Xiaoyun
Shang Xiaoyun
Shang Xiaoyun was one of the four great twentieth century performers of the Dan role type in Jingju with Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng....
(尚小云), Cheng Yanqiu
Cheng Yanqiu
Cheng Yanqiu , born in Beijing, was one of the great twentieth century performers of the Dan role type in Jingju, or Peking Opera....
(程砚秋) and Xun Huisheng
Xun Huisheng
Xun Huisheng was one of the four great twentieth century performers of the Dan role type in Jingju with Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu and Shang Xiaoyun....
(荀慧生) were known as Four Great Dan in the golden era of Peking Opera.
Biography
Méi was born in Taizhou, JiangsuTaizhou, Jiangsu
Taizhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province of eastern China. Situated on the north bank of the Yangtze River, it borders Nantong to the east, Yancheng to the north and Yangzhou to the west....
in 1894 into a family of Beijing Opera and Kūnqǔ
Kunqu
Kunqu , also known as Kunju , Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from the Kunshan melody, and dominated Chinese theatre from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The style originated in the Wu cultural area...
performers. He made his stage debut at the Guanghe Theatre
Guanghe Theatre
The Guanghe Theatre is a theatre located in the Qianmen district of Beijing that was a long-time host to Beijing opera performances and the birthplace of Mei Lanfang's career when he was ten years old...
in 1904 when he was 10 years old. 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
Du Liniang
Du Liniang is a fictional character from Tang Xianzu's play The Peony Pavilion. "Du" is her last name, "Li" means beautiful, and "Niang", girl. Only sixteen years old, she encounters a dream lover Liu Mengmei when she falls asleep in a long-abandoned garden. Overcome by lovesickness, she wastes...
(杜丽娘; in The Peony Pavilion
The Peony Pavilion
The Peony Pavilion is a play written by Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty and first performed in 1598 at the Pavilion of Prince Teng. One of Tang's "Four Dreams", it has traditionally been performed as a Kunqu opera, but Chuan and Gan opera versions also exist...
) and Bái Sùzhēn (白素贞; in Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda is a five story tall tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Originally constructed in the year AD 975, it collapsed in 1924 but was rebuilt in 2002, since when it has been a popular tourist attraction.-Original:The original pagoda was...
) and Beauty Yu (in Farewell My Concubine
Farewell My Concubine (play)
Farewell My Concubine is a Chinese Peking Opera. A more literal translation of the Chinese title is The Hegemon King says Farewell to his Queen....
). Mei's famous portrayal of Beauty Yu was so historically moving that he was dubbed one of the greatest vocal artists in modern China.
Méi was the first artist to spread Beijing Opera to foreign countries, participating in cultural exchanges with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the United States, and other regions. He toured the world, forming friendships with the western contemporaries of his day, including Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
. In 1930 he toured North America, visiting Hollywood, where he welcomed by Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
and Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. In 1935, Mei toured Europe, playing to appreciative audiences in Berlin and Moscow. Seeing Mei perform especially impressed the German playwright Bertold Brecht and influenced his concept of the alienation effect
Alienation effect
The distancing effect, commonly mistranslated as the alienation effect , is a performing arts concept coined by playwright Bertolt Brecht "which prevents the audience from losing itself passively and completely in the character created by the actor, and which consequently leads the audience to be a...
.
In July 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident was a battle between the Republic of China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army, often used as the marker for the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War .The eleven-arch granite bridge, Lugouqiao, is an architecturally significant structure,...
occurred. The Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
soon occupied Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. The commander of the Japanese Army ordered Mei to perform for them and appointed Mei to a high rank official position. But Mei refused to sing throughout the duration of the war and endured an impoverished lifestyle until the war ended in 1945.
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. Acclaimed director Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige
Chen Kaige is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.-Early life:...
directed Forever Enthralled, a film biography of Mei's life, released in December 2008.