Amid the grand halls of the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, a splendid tribute unfolds to commemorate the 130th birthday of Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), the master of Peking Opera whose life and artistry continue to resonate profoundly within Chinese culture and beyond.
From old photos to Peking Opera costumes, from paintings to vinyl records, this retrospective exhibition running from July 23 to Oct 23 celebrates Mei's illustrious career as well as delving deep into his early influences, his pioneering efforts in promoting Peking Opera globally and the enduring legacy he forged.
Peking Opera, or jingju, is a 200-year-old art form that combines singing, dancing, acrobatics and martial arts. In 1790, when four Huiju Opera troupes visited Beijing as part of the 80th birthday celebrations of Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), they stayed in the capital. Huiju Opera is a traditional opera form from Anhui province, out of which Peking Opera was later born.
Largely influenced by Huiju Opera, Peking Opera began to formally take shape around 1840, rapidly growing as an art form appealing to royal families and the masses.
Peking Opera was inscribed in 2010 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
At the opening ceremony on July 23, Peking Opera artists who inherited the performing style founded by Mei, including Hu Wenge, Guo Xiao, and Wei Hai-min from Taiwan, staged some of Mei's most well-known Peking Opera pieces.
According to one of the exhibition's curators Zheng Guangxu, director of the Library of Chinese National Academy of Arts, which is one of the co-organizers of the exhibition, they spent over a year working on the exhibition, selecting more than 200 exhibits related to Mei, including nearly 120 valuable items on display to the public for the first time.
Featuring six sections, the exhibition opens with the early life of Mei, who was born in Beijing and was introduced to the world of Peking Opera at a tender age thanks to his family — his father Mei Zhufen and grandfather Mei Qiaoling were both famous Peking Opera artists. His uncle Mei Yutian was a celebrated player of the huqin, a traditional Chinese stringed musical instrument mostly used to accompany Peking Opera performances.
The first piece in the exhibition is a painting about 3.18 meters long and 0.82 meters wide, a replica based on the art piece by Qing Dynasty artist Shen Rongpu titled Tongguang Shisan Jue (Thirteen Masters of the Tongzhi and Guangxu Reigns), featuring 13 Peking Opera masters of the dynasty, including Mei Qiaoling.
Mei Lanfang's father died when he was a very young child and his mother died when he was 14. Mei Lanfang began studying Peking Opera at the age of 8, making his stage debut at 11.
He specialized in performing nandan roles in which men play female characters — a practice forged in feudal times when women were forbidden to take to the stage.
In the exhibition, photos of a young Mei Lanfang and his teacher Wu Lingxian are displayed. With historical documents, viewers learn how Mei Lanfang honed his skills in Peking Opera techniques, mastering the intricacies of vocal modulation, gestures and dramatic expressions.
In 1913, Mei Lanfang made his Shanghai debut performance. In the exhibition, the contract he signed in 1923 with Xu Shaoqing, who invited him to Shanghai, is displayed. His performances in the metropolis acquired him a national reputation.
From 1912 to 1932, Mei Lanfang adapted several classic Peking Opera pieces, created new works and gradually formed his own unique art style, which was later known as meipai, or "the art style of Mei".
Nandan's heyday was in the first half of the 20th century when Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun (1900-76), Cheng Yanqiu (1904-58) and Xun Huisheng (1900-68) — dubbed the Four Great Dan (female roles) — established the four dan styles of Mei, Shang, Cheng and Xun.
In 1925, Mei Lanfang premiered his original work Taizhen Waizhuan (The Anecdotes of Taizhen), which was inspired by Changhen Ge (The Song of Everlasting Sorrow), a narrative poem in which Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Bai Juyi portrayed the love affair between the legendary royal concubine Yang Yuhuan of the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Xuanzong. Taizhen was Yang's Taoist name as she was once a Taoist nun.
Mei Lanfang told the romantic and tragic love story of Yang and the emperor through Peking Opera. With original songs and choreography, the performance of the whole play lasted for four nights and was a great success.
A costume worn by Mei Lanfang when he played the role of Yang is displayed for the first time at the exhibition.
According to one of the curators Xiang Qian, the costume shows the creativity of Mei Lanfang. Compared to the Peking Opera costumes of the time that his father and grandfather wore, Mei Lanfang widened the sleeves and integrated the elements of shuixiu ("water sleeves") — long, white silk sleeves attached to the cuffs of female character costumes in traditional Chinese operas. Performers would dance while manipulating the sleeves to create multiple stunts, portraying the female characters' gracefulness while expressing emotions.
"Taizhen Waizhuan was rarely performed due to the large and extravagant stage setting and the large number of actors and actresses onstage. It has become one of Mei Lanfang's most celebrated works," Xiang notes.
In 1926, songs from the play were released on vinyl records. During the exhibition, when visitors stand in front of the beautiful costume, they can simultaneously hear the songs played on an old-style vinyl record.
Central to Mei Lanfang's legacy is his pivotal role in popularizing Peking Opera on the global stage.
He toured Japan in 1919, 1924 and 1956. In 1930, he toured the United States for about two months, giving shows in New York, Washington and San Francisco, among others. In 1935, he performed in the former Soviet Union and, in the same year, toured Europe, captivating Western audiences with his mesmerizing performances.
Through meticulously crafted costumes and rare photographs from these tours, the exhibition highlights Mei Lanfang's achievement in transcending cultural barriers and showcasing the rich traditions of Peking Opera to an international audience.
Photos showing Mei Lanfang shaking hands with Charlie Chaplin and news clippings about his performances in the US are displayed in the exhibition.
One of the most eye-catching items is a 4.25-meter-wide, 3.57-meter-high stage curtain, a replica of the one he used during his tour in the US, shown to the public for the first time. The curtain features different patterns, including two peacocks, chrysanthemums, lilies and 30 magpies standing on tree branches.
"In China, magpies (xique) are seen as messengers of joy," says Xiang, elaborating on the auspicious details of the curtain patterns. "There is an old saying in China — xishang meishao (happiness up to the eyebrows), so on the top of the curtain, pairs of magpies (representing happiness and auspiciousness) are embroidered standing on top of the branches of a plum blossom tree (homophonic with 'eyebrows')."
Mei Lanfang died in Beijing at the age of 67. His ninth son, Mei Baojiu (1934-2016), also performed as a nandan, trained young Peking Opera artists and passed on his father's legacy.
Other highlights in the exhibition include Mei Lanfang's contribution to the country's art development after he served as the first president of the China National Peking Opera Company in 1950 and the first director of the China Institute of Traditional Chinese Operas in 1951, which later became the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
Wang Yong, current president of the China National Peking Opera Company, says: "As a visitor, I was touched to see this exhibition, which traces Mei Lanfang's artistic evolution from a prodigious young performer to the maestro who revolutionized Peking Opera, particularly through his mastery of nandan roles, female characters portrayed with unparalleled grace and sensitivity.
"Our company has been training young artists to keep Mei Lanfang's legacy alive; not only his artistic style but also his artist spirit," Wang adds.
