Master's house

As the afternoon sun shines over a traditional courtyard residence on Huguosi Street in Beijing, the trees sway gently in the breeze, as if telling the story of the past.

This siheyuan, as such houses are called, used to be a stable of the residence of a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) prince. It became the home of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang in 1951. He spent the last decade of his life there. Mei had gone to the house in his youth to perform in a show of the art form.

Now, the residence is the Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum, where people can pay tribute to him. Mei's 127th birth anniversary was on Friday, and a commemorative event was held in the museum on Oct 18.

Well-known for playing the female role (dan)－as few women were allowed to stage Peking Opera, Mei's acting style has become a school of the art form. Mei, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng are considered the "four greats" in the role.

"While Mei Lanfang is a household name in China, many people only know about him through films and TV series. My research focuses more on the artistic system he adopted, and it is time to pay attention to his sentiments and personality as well," says Liu Zhen, director of the museum.

Mei was born in a family of Peking Opera performers－his grandfather was a performer in the Qing era. He lost his parents when he was young and was raised by an uncle. Mei's childhood was spent in poverty.

"When he started to learn Peking Opera, he didn't show much talent," says Liu Qingqing, a staff member at the museum.

"It is said that his first teacher refused to teach him since he could not sing an easy part after learning for several days, and the teacher claimed Mei was not suitable for the art form. Mei acknowledged it, and he once said, 'I was a clumsy learner and all I have achieved is through hard work.'"

Later, Mei was taught by Peking Opera performer Wu Lingxian, who adopted a gentle way of education and patiently guided him. Mei rose to fame by the age of 19 after he performed in Shanghai in 1913.

"He became famous at a young age and gained high social status, which can easily make a young man feel too proud to make further progress. But he was strict with himself and kept working on the stage until the end of his life," says Liu Zhen.

Mei also used his popularity to promote Kunqu Opera, another old art form.

When he was 18, Mei started to pay attention to Kunqu Opera which was dying then. He found that many of its features could be inherited by Peking Opera, so he tried to make people notice it.

"Kunqu nurtured Mei, and Mei saved Kunqu," says Liu Qingqing, citing Zhu Hengfu, a professor at the Film-Television and Communication College of Shanghai Normal University.

Mei refused invading Japanese troops' demands to stage shows during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

He grew a mustache to avoid doing female roles, gave up performing temporarily and made a living by selling paintings.

But he was friendly toward ordinary people in Japan, where he visited in 1919, 1924 and 1956. His trips to other countries, such as the United States and the Soviet Union, in the 1930s also made a stir among the foreign audiences.

Liu Zhen praises Mei's role in promoting Chinese culture abroad.

"Performers at that time struggled to make a living. Mei's trips to foreign countries were not organized by the government, but were commercial performances. … He could have focused only on making money but he cherished a sense of responsibility and tried to spread Chinese culture," says Liu Zhen.

In his diary on the US visit, Mei wrote that "if through artistic communication, the visit enhanced emotions between China and the US", it was his way of repaying his country and the people.

Learning from Mei is important today, says Mao Zhong, a researcher at the museum.

Although Mei lived in a different time, many of his thoughts and virtues are still inspiring for artists today, he explains.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the creation of Farewell My Concubine, a Peking Opera classic in which Mei performed.

Created in 1921, the play premiered in 1922 and has been staged more than 1,000 times since then.

An ongoing exhibition at the museum shows cultural items and literature related to the piece. Exhibits include costumes, props and scripts Mei used in the play.