Mei Lanfang.jpg
Legendary Peking opera artist Mei Lanfang passed away in 1961, but he is still remembered not only in China but also in the United States and London, especially on Oct. 22, his 120th birthday.
On Aug. 27, Mei Baojiu, the Chinese theater master's son who is also a Peking opera artist, led Peking opera actors and actresses in the United States in several shows, such as a performance at the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., Womenofchina.cn reported.
Prior to this, Mei Baojiu led a concert tour that started on Aug.10, 2013, in his father's birthplace, Jiangsu Province's city of Taizhou in east China. Kicking off the Mei Lanfang Art Festival, the concert aimed to honor Mei Lanfang's contributions to Peking opera.
As the founder of Mei School of Peking Opera, Mei Lanfang is regarded as one of the most famous Peking opera artists in modern history, known for his Qingyi roles, generally considered a feminine role in Chinese opera.
Mei Lanfang was also the first Chinese artist to take Peking opera to foreign countries, paving way to cultural exchanges with other countries including the United States and Japan. He also became friends with several Western artists, such as the late Charlie Chaplin.
On Oct. 18, Mei Lanfang was remembered at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, through performances and academic discussions exploring the late opera artist's style, influence, and significance to contemporary practice, People Daily reported.
According to University of Leeds' Chinese Theatre Studies professor Li Ruru, like other great jingju masters, Mei Lanfang is remembered not for his fame but for the courage and skills he had in "responding to the great challenges in the fast changing world at the beginning of the 20th century."
With Mei Lanfang's influence and the traditional culture essence of his contributions to the Chinese theater, Peking opera is still relevant to the young generation at present.
In China, one of the young Peking opera singers is Fu Jia, according to ecns.cn. She has been awarded for her outstanding presentation of Mei Lanfang School's gracefulness and elegance, but she was honest to say that she forgot her lines during a performance of the traditional aria "Wujiapo."
The young singer did what a teacher told her to do in such a situation, which is to speak out an English sentence, and finished the performance successfully with the cooperation of her co-actor.
