Mei Lanfang Classics Peking Opera will be held at Zhengyici Theater on Everyday.

Mei Lanfang (1894～1961), born in a family of Peking Opera actors, began to learn the performing art at the age of eight, made his debut at the age of ten and became a super star in the 1910s, thus turning Dan (female roles) to a prominent role of Peking Opera. In his dramatic career of 60 years, Mei Lanfang performed and created over 200 plays, making his contributions to the singing patters, speaking lines, dance, music, costumes and make-up and gradually forming his unique style, the so called ‘Mei School’. On a par with Stanislavsky (USSR) and Brecht (Germany), he is known as a representative of the Chinese performing arts school.

Programme List（Subject to change）

GUI FEI ZUI JIU (Drunken Princess)

Emperor Ming makes an appointment with Princess Yang to enjoy the flowers and drink the wine. Princess gets the banquet ready but the emperor has gone to another Princess’s palace. Princess Yang is annoyed and has to drink by herself until she gets drunk.

MU GUIYING GUA SHUAI (Taking Command of Troops)

When the lord of West Xia starts a rebellion, the female general Mu Guiying takes command of the troops again at the age of fifty. This play is the acme of Mei School and the last play of Meilanfang through his life.

TIAN NV SAN HUA (Sylph Scattering Flowers)

The Buddha orders the heavenly maid to scatter the blossoms in Vimalakirtinirdesa’s room in order to test his faith. The heavenly maid scatters the blossoms in front of Vimalakirt inirdesa and proclaims the Buddha’s words before she returns to the west.

BA WANG BIE JI (Farewell to Princess Yu)

Xiang Yu, Hegemon king of West Chu, is encircled by the king of Han. Hegemon king’ Princess, Yu, drinking the wine and dancing with the sword, commits suicide. Afterwards, Hegemon king says farewell to his war-horse and kills himself by the Wujiang River.

Source: damai.cn