![]() Along with Mei Lanfang there were Cheng Yanqiu (1904 – 1958), Shang Xiaoyun (1899 – 1976), and Xun Huisheng (1899 – 1968). There were actually four very famous masters who played ‘Dan’ roles. Mei rediscovered and revived many old and forgotten theatrical masterpieces, adding his own style to them, and so revived the traditional Chinese arts of dance and pantomime, enriching it with Kungfu swordplay. When he was 14 he joined the XI Lian Cheng theatre company, and performed in Shanghai and elsewhere. He started studying when he was 8, and played his first role at 12. Mei Lanfang (1894 – 1961) was so much more than just an actor, he was an opera master. He was a legendary player of the ‘Dan’ roles (female roles), and developed a whole new performing school in his own style. He was, after all, the first to perform with his company away from China, and achieved extraordinary success in countries like Japan (19), the US (1930), and the Soviet Union (1932). The best known name associated with Peking Opera is Mei Lanfang (1894 – 1961), not just in China, but around the world.
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