Mei Lanfang Memorial is one of the historic sites under the protection by Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage. Located in No.9 Huguosi Street, Xicheng District, it is easily accessible. It used to be the residence of Mei Lanfang. After Mei died, his wife Fu Zhifang and his sons and daughters donated to the state his large collection of materials and literature about Chinese operas. In 1984 preparations started to be made for setting up the memorial, which was officially open to the public in Oct. 1986.
Mei Lanfang (1898-1961), whose hometown was in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, was a renowned Peking opera actor, the head of the four top players of female roles. He started his training as an actor at the age of eight, and at eleven he made his debut. Over the years he created a school of his own called the Mei school, which is known as one of the three major schools of opera acting in the world. When Beijing fell to Japanese invaders, he grew a moustache (actors playing female roles cannot have moustaches) to show that he would never act under the rule of the puppet government. After the People's Republic was founded, he held such posts as president of the National Peking Opera Theatre, president of the Institute for Research of Chinese Operas, deputy chairman of the National Association of Literature and Arts, permanent member the Chinese People's World Peace Protection Committee, member of the standing committee of the National People's Congress, and permanent member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee.
The memorial, a typical Quadrangle Dwelling, covers an area of over 1,000 square meters. Above the red-lacquered gate is a plaque inscribed with the words Mei Lanfang Memorial written by Deng Xiaoping. Facing the gate, just in front of a large grey screen wall, stands a bust of Mei Lanfang. Before the small screen wall inside the screen door are four stone stools carved with flower patterns and a granite pool. The houses in the east, west, and north have corridors supported by red-lacquered round pillars; the eaves of the corridors are painted with brightly colored patterns. In the courtyard grow two persimmon trees and two crabapple trees, symbols of peace. It was in this secluded, comfortable little courtyard that Mei Lanfang spent his last ten years.
The memorial has two parts. One part——the courtyard, the living room, the study, and the bedroom——is furnished the same way as it was before Mei died. The other part consists of three exhibition halls outside the courtyard. One of them displays a number of pictures and photos of Mei's life as an artist and social activist. The other two halls house exhibitions with regularly changed themes. Since its opening, the memorial hall has become a window to the culture of Chinese operas, Mei's artistic achievements, and traditional Chinese culture.
Address: No.9 Huguosi Street, Xicheng District, Beijing |
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