Biography

Mei Lanfang (1894–1961) was one of China’s most celebrated Peking opera performers, renowned for his mastery of dan roles — female characters traditionally played by men. Born into a family of opera performers in Beijing, he began training as a child and rose to become the most influential exponent of the huadan and qingyi female role types, developing a graceful, refined performance style that came to be known as the “Mei school” (Mei pai). He toured internationally in the 1920s–30s, performing in Japan, the United States, and the Soviet Union, where he influenced Western theater figures like Bertolt Brecht and Konstantin Stanislavski, helping introduce Chinese opera to global audiences. During the Japanese occupation of China, he famously grew a mustache and refused to perform rather than entertain the occupiers, resuming his career only after the war. Alongside his stage career, Mei was also an accomplished traditional Chinese painter, studying with notable artists and producing works in ink and color that often depicted flowers, birds, and Buddhist figures. His paintings were valued in their own right and sometimes sold or gifted to support himself during periods when he stepped back from the stage, including during the occupation years. He remains a towering figure in the history of Chinese theater, celebrated both for his artistry and for codifying many of the conventions of Peking opera performance.