Mei lan fang biography examples
Mei Lanfang
20th-century Peking opera artist
In this Chinese name, the family name is Mei.
Mei Lan (22 October – 8 August ), better known by his stage nameMei Lanfang, was a notable Chinese Peking opera artist in modern Chinese theater. Mei was known as the "Queen of Peking Opera".[1] Mei was exclusively known for his female lead roles (dan) and particularly his "verdant-robed girls" (qingyi), young or middle-aged women of grace and refinement.
He was considered one of the "Four Great Dan", along with Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu, and Xun Huisheng.
Early life
Mei Lanfang was born in Beijing in into a family of Peking opera and Kunqu performers (performers of a traditional Chinese theatre composed of drama, ballet, opera, poetry, and music) of Taizhou, Jiangsu ancestry.
Career
At age 8, Mei Lanfang started training in Chinese opera skills such as acting, singing and acrobatics.[1] Mei Lanfang made his stage debut at the Guanghe Theatre in when he was 11 years old playing a weaving girl.[2][3] In his year stage career, he maintained strong continuity while always working on new techniques.
His most famous roles were those of female characters; the 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 "Mei School." He also played an important part in continuing the performance tradition of Kunqu, noted particularly for his interpretations of Du Liniang (杜丽娘; in The Peony Pavilion) and Bái Sùzhēn (白素贞; in Legend of the White Snake).
Mei's famous portrayal of Beauty Yu was so historically moving that Wenting Song said he was one of the greatest vocal artists in modern China.[4]
Mei 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 he toured North America, visiting Hollywood, where he was welcomed by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.[5] In , Mei toured Europe, playing to appreciative audiences in Berlin and Moscow.
Mei lan fang stamp: While still married to Wang, he married his second wife in , who was also an opera actress. In , he began seeing a third woman, who was also an actress. October 18, MEI Lan-Fang rediscovered many long-neglected theatrical masterpieces and brought them back on stage with his enforcements.
Seeing Mei perform especially impressed the German playwright Bertolt Brecht and influenced his concept of the alienation effect.[6] He served as one of the mentors and guardians of the actress Li Yuru as she began her career.
In July , the Marco Polo Bridge Incident occurred, and 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 war and endured an impoverished lifestyle until the war ended in
After 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.
Mei joined the Chinese Communist Party in [2] 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.
Forever enthralled Download as PDF Printable version. Largest Asia-Pacific cruise ship makes maiden voyage. Unconventional canvas. For the operaThe Fairy Scattering Flowers, Mei designed a sick-ribbon dance based on ancient Buddhist grotto frescoes.Recordings of his best-known performances have been published in A Selection of Beijing Operas Performed by Mei Lanfang. In , 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
Philanthropy
In , Mei went to Japan after learning about the Great Kantō earthquake that had caused destruction.
During his stay, he not only performed to earn money, but he also raised funds from the Japanese to help the cause.
Personal life
In the year , Mei married Wang Minghua, and they eventually had one son and one daughter together. While still married to Wang, he married his second wife in , who was also an opera actress.
Her name was Fu Zhifang and together, they had nine children. In , he began seeing a third woman, who was also an actress. They lived together unmarried for five years before they broke up. Mei's daughter Mei Baoyue was a Chinese opera performer.[1] Mei's son Mei Baojiu (–) was a Chinese opera dan performer.[1]
In popular culture
Chen Kaige's film Forever Enthralled is a biographical account of Mei Lanfang.[8]
In , the Chinese Google homepage displayed a logo commemorating his th birthday on October [9]
See also
References
- ^ abcd"5 Facts about Peking Opera legend Mei Lanfang".Mei lan fang biography examples wikipedia Early life [ edit ]. He toured Japan in , and and the United States in Retrieved Mei Lanfang , the great master of Peking Opera, made outstanding contributions to the development of the opera and the spread of the beauty of Chinese theatre all over the world.
October 18, Archived from the original on January 10, Retrieved January 9,
- ^ ab"Mei Lanfang | Chinese singer, actor, and dancer". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved
- ^Folk cultural heritage recalls national memory, People's Daily Online, February 14,
- ^Joshua Goldstein, "Mei Lanfang and the Nationalization of Peking Opera, ," positions: east asia cultures critique ():
- ^Mark Cosdon, ""Introducing Occidentals to an Exotic Art": Mei Lanfang in New York," Asian Theatre Journal ():
- ^Bertolt Brecht translated by Eric Bently, "On Chinese Acting," The Tulane Drama Review ():
- ^"Mei Lanfang () - IMDb".
IMDb.
- ^Google Mei Lanfang logo
Bibliography
- The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Mei Lanfang." Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 30 Sept. Web. 06 Mar.
- Wilson, Charles.Mei lan fang biography examples References [ edit ]. State Council News. Get Inspired with Some Popular Itineraries. The best known Beijing Opera master ever.
"What Is Kunqu Theatre." What Is Kunqu Theatre. Wintergreen Kunqu Society, n.d. Web. 07 Mar.
- "Traditions - Folk Art." Roles in Peking Opera. Cultural China, n.d.Mei lan fang biography examples images In spite of the Great Depression, all the tickets for the two-week premiere were sold out in only three days. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in At age 13 he joined the Xiliancheng Theatrical Company and, through performances in Shanghai and elsewhere, acquired a national reputation. Mei Lan 22 October — 8 August , better known by his stage name Mei Lanfang , was a notable Chinese Peking opera artist in modern Chinese theater.
Web. 08 Mar.
- "梅兰芳." （中国京剧表演艺术家）_百度百科. Baidu, n.d. Web. 09 Mar.
- Li Ruru (), " Commemorations of the Theatrical Careers of Cao Yu and Li Yuru"(PDF), CHINOPERL Papers, Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature.
- Min Tian, Mei Lanfang and the Twentieth-Century International Stage: Chinese Theatre Placed and Displaced (New York: Palgrave, ).