While Mei had been lauded for reviving old arias and for changing the emphasis from singing to performing in Peking Opera, he was influenced by the city's modern drama that used elaborate sets, electric stage lights and modern stories.ĭuring this Golden Age, Mei was the first star to perform outside the country. Shanghai had a profound influence on his work.

Three years later he performed for 45 straight days, before moving to the city in 1918 to star in the silent film Chun Xiang Nao Xue – Chun Xiang Disturbs the Studies.īy then, Mei was arguably China's first pop star cigarettes were named after him and a popular saying then was that 'a good wife should be like Mei Lanfang and a good son like Zhou Xinfang.' His fame reached a national level when he gave a sterling three day performance at Shanghai's Dan Gui stage at what is now Fuzhou Lu and Hubei Lu in 1913. Despite being told by an early teacher that his dull eyes would limit his opportunities, Mei was a star by his teens. The techniques he introduced led to the development of the “Mei School” that is regarded as one of the three major dramatic performing systems in the world, alongside the naturalistic method acting school of Constantin Stanislavsky and Brecht's Epic Theater of artifice.īorn on Octoto a family of Peking Opera and Kunqu performers, Mei made his stage debut at the historic Guanghe Theater in Bejing at 10. He brought a number of innovations to Peking Opera, from makeup (he was the first to wear lipstick), music (his productions popularized the erhu in shows), choreography (his iconic sword dance in Farewell My Concubine) and, most importantly, characterization.Īt a time when females were barred from performing, Mei elevated the dan into the starring role by combining elements of the qinyi (noble lady), huadan (coquettish woman) and daomadan (female warrior) into a new huashan character that excelled in singing, dancing and martial arts. Remembered as the best of his era's Four Great Dan, Mei was much more. He's credited for popularizing the art abroad, where his fans included Charlie Chaplin, silent film Zorro Douglas Fairbanks and German playwright Bertolt Brecht. Mei Lanfang was arguably China's greatest actor – impressive because he predominantly played the female dan role in Peking opera. This month may be dominated by the 120th birthday celebrations of Mao Zedong, but another national icon is being feted for the same anniversary.

Shanghai peking opera troup