Mei lan fang biography of william

“Mei Lan-fang”, in Tian, Min (ed.).

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. Mei was known as the "Queen of Peking Opera". 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.

At age 8, Mei Lanfang started training in Chinese opera skills such as acting, singing and acrobatics. 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. 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.

Mei was the first artist to spread Beijing Opera to foreign countries, participating in cultural exchanges with Japan, the United States, and other regions.

Mei Lan-fang, $1,,a-year Chinese actor, the oriental equivalent of an American combination of John Barrymore, Helen Morgan, John Gilbert and Gloria.

He toured the world, forming friendships with the western contemporaries of his day, including Charlie Chaplin. Seeing Mei perform especially impressed the German playwright Bertolt Brecht and influenced his concept of the alienation effect. 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 Mei joined the Chinese Communist Party in 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 During his stay, he not only performed to earn money, but he also raised funds from the Japanese to help the cause.

In the year , Mei married Wang Minghua, and they eventually had one son and one daughter together.