Mei Lanfang

MeiLanfang(1894-1961),theoutstandingexponentofBeijingOpera,wasthegreatmasterofChina'sdramaticart.

Withpatriotismandadeeploveforhispeople,MeiLanfangdedicatedhiswholelifetotheartofBeijingOpera.Duringhisstagecareeroverhalfacentury,heshowedgreatskillinheritingthebesttraditionsofthepastandadaptingthemtoalnewstageToenrichandamelioratetheChinesestageheconstantlyandconscientiouslysoughttoimprovehisartandcreatedmanylivelyandunforgettableartisticimagesbygatheringtogetherthebestofthelocalandnationaloperas.Heblendedacting,singinganddancinginoneperformance,turningtheBeijingOperaintoacolorful,comprehensiveartofthehigheststageeffects.Asaresult,hehadawiderepertoire,formedhisownoriginalstyleanddevelopedwhathasbecomeunanimoulyacceptedasthe"MeiLanfangSchool"--aschoolwithuniquecharacteristicsandsubtledignity.MeiblazedanewpathforhisBeijingOperacontemporaries.Hewasacceptedworldwideandapplaudedasagreatartistandtheembodimentofbeauty.

MeiLanfangwasthefirsttointroduceBeijingOperatotheworldandmadesuccessfultourstoJapan(1919,1924and1956),theUnitedStates(1930)andtheSovietUnion(1935and1952).Inrecognitionofhisliteraryandartisticachievements,twoAmericanuniversities,theUniversityofSouthernCaliforniaandthePomonaCollege,conferreduponhimthehonorarydegreeofDoctorofLetters.Duringhistoursinthesecountries,whichearnedhiminternationalfame,hepopularizedtheChineseclassicaldramaamongforeignaudiences,guidingthemtoabetterappreciationofChineseartandculture.ThroughhisperformancesBeijingOperaobtainedworldrenownandinreturnexertedmuchinfluencetotheforeignstage.Hebecamegoodfriendswithmanyoftheworld'sfamousartists,dramatists,writers,vocalists,dancersandpainters.AmonghisinternationalfriendswereMaximGorky,KonstantinStanislavsky,Nemirovich-Denchenko,S.M.Eisenstein,GalinaUlanova,StarkYoung,CharlesChaplin,paulRobeson,DouglasFairbank,MaryPickford,BernardShaw,EdwardGordonCraig,BertoltBrecht,AmelitaGalli-Curci,RabindranathTagore,NandalalBose,TadashiAoki,KoshiroMatsumoto,BikoOnoe,MatsuoKunizoandEnnosukeIchikawa.

ThroughouthislifehemadeoutstandingcontributionsinpromotingculturalexchangesbetweenChinaandforeigncountries.TheperformingartoftheChinesetheatrerepresentedbyMeiLangfangisnowrecognizedasoneofthethreeworldcontemporarymainsystemsofperformingart.

AfterthefoundingofthePeople'sRepublicofChina,MeiLanfangwaselectedadeputytotheNationalPeople'sCongressandamemberoftheStandingCommitteeoftheNationalCommitteeofthePeople'sPoliticalConsultativeConference.Hewasalsoelectedavice-chairmanoftheAll-ChinaFederationofLiteraryandArtCirclesandoftheDramatists'Union.HebecamepresidentoftheInstituteofChineseOperaResearchandoftheCollegeofChineseOpera,aswellasDirectoroftheNationalBeijingOperaTheatre.Havingparticipatedenthusiasticallyinsocialworkandvariousactivities,hewasacceptedintotheChineseCommunistPartyin1959andmadesignificantcontributionstothesocialistconstructionofhismotherlandinhislateyears.

MeiLanfangisthesymbolofChina'sperformingartandtheprideofhispeopleandnation.