Iconic Actor Mei Lanfang: A Tale of Courage and Artistry

In the first installment of what will be a two-part feature, we will delve into the enduring legacy of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang. As a cultural icon who resonates across generations, he embodies a spirit of resilience and artistic expression in the face of adversity.

Transcript

Iconic Actor Mei Lanfang: A Tale of Courage and Artistry

In the first installment of what will be a two-part feature, we will delve into the enduring legacy of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang. As a cultural icon who resonates across generations, he embodies a spirit of resilience and artistic expression in the face of adversity.

On the evening of April 26, the World Literature Salon in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province was packed to capacity for a special event commemorating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang and the 120th anniversary of master Cheng Yanqiu. 

Attending the event were three distinguished guests from the fields of opera performance and research: they were Zhong Rong, a national first-class performer of Jiangsu Peking Opera Company and a representative artist of the Cheng school; Shi Yihong, a national first-class performer of Shanghai Peking Opera Company and a prominent actor of the Mei school; and Zhao Tian, a professor of the School of Arts at Southeast University, and a director of the Chinese Mei Lanfang Cultural and Art Research Association. 

As a prominent performer of the Mei School, Shi Yihong distilled the essence of Mei School art into the word “beauty”, saying, “Master Mei Lanfang’s Mei School art, if summarized in one word, is simply ‘beauty’ – visual beauty, melodic beauty, rhythmic beauty. From it, one can perceive the beauty that is uniquely inherent to the Chinese people, emanating from within.” She believes that the greatest characteristic of the Mei School is its “lack of distinctiveness” because it draws from various sources thus forming its own unique style. The magnificent artistic achievements of Master Mei are rooted in the profound cultural heritage and charm of China.

Now, let’s talk about Mei Lanfang, a legendary figure in the world of Peking Opera, renowned for his exceptional skills in performance and his significant contributions to the art form.

In 1894, in an old house’s west wing on Tieshu Alley in downtown Beijing, a boy was born with a cry. He was Mei Lanfang, a notable Chinese Peking opera artist in modern Chinese theater. Mei Lanfang’s grandfather Mei Qiaoling led the Four Happiness Troupe, one of the “Four Great Hui Troupes,” though this did not provide substantial wealth for the family. Mei Lanfang’s father, Mei Zhufen, inherited the family business and had to toil for the livelihood of the whole family. Mei Lanfang’s arrival brought hope to Mei Zhufen and his brother Mei Yutian.

At the age of four, Mei Lanfang’s father passed away. The heavy burden fell on Mei Yutian’s shoulders. Mei Yutian was a prominent figure in the opera world, known as the qin player for renowned actor Tan Xinpei, and they cooperated seamlessly. Tan Xinpei, nurtured by Mei Qiaoling in his early years, felt grateful to the Mei family and naturally took great care of them. However, the good times did not last long.

During the anti-imperialist Boxer Movement at the turn of the 20th century, the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, most theaters and teahouses were destroyed, and the opera industry suffered greatly. Many artists either fled the capital or stayed indoors to avoid trouble, struggling to make ends meet. The Mei family found it even harder to keep themselves afloat, and Mei Yutian had to sell the old house. The family of eight rented three rooms in the Baishun Hutong outside Xuanwumen, barely maintaining their livelihood in those turbulent times.

Mei Lanfang was destined to inherit his ancestors’ legacy. However, his innate qualities were not as dazzling as later perceived by others. In the words of his aunt, he was “neither eloquent nor remarkable in appearance, with drooping eyelids, and unable to speak when meeting people.”

When Mei Lanfang was eight years old, Mei Yutian invited the famous young male actor Zhu Xiaoxia to teach him at home. Despite Zhu Xiaoxia repeatedly demonstrating the first four lines of an old tune from a famous Peking Opera, Mei Lanfang still couldn’t grasp it. In frustration, Zhu Xiaoxia left, saying to Mei Lanfang before leaving, “The ancestors didn’t give you this meal to eat!” Mei Yutian had no choice but to find another teacher for him. 

Soon after, Mei Lanfang formally became a student of famed Qingyi performer Wu Lingxian and began learning the Qingyi roles. Qingyi is the most important role in Peking Opera and plays dignified, serious, and decent characters, which are mostly wives or mothers. His new master was patient, and Mei Lanfang studied diligently. His natural deficiencies gradually became insignificant under the baptism of sweat. Mei Lanfang later recalled, “I was a clumsy learner, lacking in natural talent, relying entirely on hard work.” This humble attitude indicates that the renowned performer knew himself well.

In ancient times, performers held extremely low social status. In fact, the household registration system during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties from the 10th to 17th century classified performers as “inferior status,” prohibiting them from entering official positions for three generations. And although the Qing Dynasty, China’s last dynasty lasting from 1644 to 1911, did not have explicit regulations in this regard, the deeply rooted societal notion persisted. 

For instance, the novels we enjoy today were once considered vulgar and unfit for refined tastes. And during the Qing Dynasty, both the Shunzhi and Kangxi emperors strictly prohibited the dissemination of novels, handing out severe punishment to violators. 

The fate of Peking Opera was not much different than those novels. The rise of Peking Opera required the impetus of societal culture, and it also needed individuals to take on this responsibility. The first criterion for these individuals is that they must possess extraordinary skills and be able to incorporate other cultural elements. Mei Lanfang can be said to have been such a person.

To be honest, the living environment of young Mei Lanfang was extremely harsh, and not just in material terms. The Baishun Hutong where Mei Lanfang lived was surrounded by brothels, and the Yunhe Tang where he learned his craft was located in Hanjiatan Hutong. This area was a gathering place for “private gatherings,” in so-called “gentleman’s halls”, which were venues for homosexual liaisons. It wasn’t until the principal performer of the Yu Cheng Troupe, the famous actress Tian Jiyun, twice petitioned the government in 1911 and 1912 to abolish the gentleman’s halls in Hanjiatan that this disreputable location began to quiet down.

Now, against that backdrop, you can better imagine the following scenes. On August 17, 1904, at the age of 11, Mei Lanfang was carried onto the stage of the famed Guanghe Lou Theater by Wu Lingxian. There, he portrayed the Weaving Maid in Changshengdian: The Secret Oath on the Magpie Bridge.

Later, in 1910, at the age of seventeen, Mei Lanfang was going through voice change, so he ceased all performances. It was during this year that he married Wang Minghua, the daughter of the dan role actor Wang Shunfu.

By then, the Mei family had moved to Bianzi Lane. During his leisure time at home, Mei Lanfang began to raise pigeons. Every morning, he would rise early to tend to them, feeding and watering them, then using a large bamboo pole to train them. Pigeons soar in the sky, requiring keen observation. Over time, his drooping eyelid problem disappeared, and his arm strength gradually increased. Mei Lanfang later recalled three hobbies from his youth, the other two being flower cultivation and painting. He said these activities taught him about color coordination but also required him to grasp the essence without abandoning his strengths.

After Wang Minghua entered the household, she managed it prudently. Soon after, they had a son and a daughter. Concerned for Mei Lanfang’s well-being and wanting to prevent him from being influenced by negative aspects of the opera world, Wang Minghua resolutely underwent sterilization and dressed as a man to accompany Mei Lanfang closely. However, in a tragic twist of fate, a measles outbreak occurred later and claimed the lives of their two children, leaving Wang Minghua devastated. 

In order to continue the Mei family’s lineage, Wang Minghua persuaded Mei Lanfang to remarry. In 1921, Mei Lanfang married Fu Zhifang. In 1929, Wang Minghua passed away in Tianjin. Mei Lanfang and Fu Zhifang purchased a hillside plot called Wanhua Mountain at the foot of the Fragrant Hills as the family burial ground. “Wanhua” sounds similar to Mei Lanfang’s given name, “Wan Hua,” demonstrating Mei Lanfang’s deep affection for Wang Minghua. As for Fu Zhifang, she accompanied Mei Lanfang for a full 40 years, and the couple endured wars and setbacks together.

The stirring of democratic ideas in the early years of the Republic of China affected the audience structure of Peking Opera, which was an important reason for the rise of the dan role. Dan is the general name for female roles in Chinese opera, often referring to leading roles, and they may be played by male or female actors. Previously, there were no designated female seats in Beijing theaters. Women who wished to watch the opera had to arrange separate seating or set up their own tables during gatherings. However, after the Xinhai Revolution, the 1911 revolution that ended China’s last dynasty, women were allowed to buy tickets and enter theaters, leading to a surge of female audience members. 

In the past, old male roles dominated, and male spectators had long held the tradition of attending performances. But these inexperienced female spectators were merely there for the excitement. Since they were watching a performance, they naturally preferred to watch beautiful and handsome dan roles. As a result, the Qingyi roles gained a large number of fans.

In 1913, during his performances in Shanghai, Mei Lanfang successfully staged the grand play Mu Kezhai, thereby securing a place of prominence in the opera world. In 1914, when Mei Lanfang returned to Shanghai, he was hailed as the “King of the Opera World,” selling over 220,000 tickets in just 45 days.

It was during this period that Mei Lanfang often acted alongside Tan Xinpei, a famed Peking Opera performer. During one performance of “Fenhe Bay”, Tan Xinpei played Xue Rengui, while Mei Lanfang played Liu Yingchun. The story revolves around Xue Rengui’s return home after an 18-year campaign in Goryeo, only to find male shoes by the bed. Understandably, he suspects his wife of infidelity until the misunderstanding is cleared up. But Liu Yingchun doesn’t take the insult lying down. In turn, she makes Xue Rengui prove his identity, after all, he’s been away for a while, right? In any case, when Tan Xinpei sings, “I live in Longmen County, Jiangzhou Prefecture, Xue Rengui’s life is bitter without relatives or neighbors,” suddenly the audience burst into applause. Of course, Tan Xinpei was puzzled, thinking, “These lines aren’t so outstanding. Why was there such an enthusiastic response?” Looking carefully upstage behind him, he realized that Mei Lanfang had been expressing deep emotions entirely suitable for the scene – something that was unprecedented at that time. 

Mei Lanfang had realized that progress in theater required innovation, and sticking to tradition without breakthroughs would lead to a dead end. Secondly, the collective attitude of the audience had been brought to his attention, in the form of constructive criticism by a man named Qi Rushan.

And who was this important influencer? Qi Rushan, was a native of Gaoyang, Hebei Province, who had entered the Translation Bureau of the Qing Prime Minister’s Office to study foreign languages the year Mei Lanfang was born. He was proficient in German, English, and French. Starting in the year of the Boxers Movement, he traveled to Europe, where he extensively studied various theatrical traditions. After the Xinhai Revolution, he returned to China. Encouraged by friends, he attended one of Mei Lanfang’s performances, and though deeply impressed, he also noticed flaws in Mei Lanfang’s performance. 

He decided to write a letter – in fact, he wrote a 3,000-word letter, pointing out the shortcomings of Mei Lanfang’s performance in “Fenhe Bay”. In what sounds more like director’s notes, Qi said, “If someone claims to be their long-lost husband returning after 18 years, and yet the wife doesn’t believe him and asks him to recount his life story... How can she remain indifferent while he passionately recounts his experiences? Although the old masters taught this way, it damages the plot... When a wife listens to her husband recounting past memories, she would not remain unmoved. If one wants to become a great actor, one must have a spirit of reform.” To his surprise, Mei Lanfang humbly accepted the criticism and made adjustments to his performance within just a few weeks of receiving the letter.

From then on, Qi Rushan wrote a letter to Mei Lanfang after every performance he attended. Over the course of two years, he wrote a total of 70 to 80 letters, all of which Mei Lanfang carefully preserved. They were later compiled and stored by the National Institute of Peking Opera.

Their collaboration began in 1915. Qi Rushan compiled Prison Lovebirds for Mei Lanfang, which caused a sensation after its performance. Thereafter, Qi Rushan became Mei Lanfang’s main advisor, helping him to create over 20 new plays, including Chang’e Flees to the Moon, Startling Dream in a Garden, Daiyu Buries Flowers, and Luoshen, forming the artistic framework of the Mei School of Peking Opera.

After more than a decade of innovation and box office success, the first Dan female role actors’ competition was held by the Beijing Shuntian Times in 1927. This was one of the earliest talent competitions in Chinese artistic history, and unlike modern voting systems, they counted entry tickets instead of votes, which merged commercial activity with artistic production seamlessly. Mei Lanfang, along with Cheng Yanqiu, Xun Huisheng, and Shang Xiaoyun, were acclaimed as the “Four Great Dan Actors” of Peking Opera. 

It’s worth noting that Shuntian Times was a newspaper run by the Japanese, and in Chinese intellectual circles at the time some critics labeled them all as traitors simply for being associated in this way with the newspaper. But we’ll save that story for another time.

Well, that’s the end of part one of our podcast on Mei Lanfang. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Lü Weitao, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.