Mei Lanfang (1894-1961)
"Bring me the evidence!"
Li Shangyin's famous work "Jin Se" begins with the words: "Jin Se has fifty strings for no reason, and each string and column reminds me of the past." The strings of Jin Se are certainly true. It is difficult to count, even counting the plays performed by famous actors is not an easy task. For example, how many plays Mei Lanfang, the "King of Actors" has acted in throughout his life, is a thorny question that is both interesting and thought-provoking.
In various historical materials about the opera, an interesting expression is common, that is, it is often said that a famous actor can perform three or four hundred plays. For example, Ye Longzhang's article introducing "Thirteen Jue of Tongguang" said that "the originator of Peking Opera" Cheng Changgeng "can He also said that the old "King of Actors" Tan Xinpei "can perform no less than three or four hundred plays." There are also articles with even more outrageous narrations, saying that a certain actor can play "countless numbers". Qi Rushan, an important figure in the "Mei Party" said: "Mei Jun is good at both chaos and chaos, and can play hundreds of plays." In an interview in her later years, Mei's wife Fu Zhifang also said that her husband could play three to four hundred plays. Although it is said that it is better to know your husband than your wife, but just kidding, if it were Mei Lanfang's friend Hu Shi, he would definitely say: "Husbands and wives are not good, please bring evidence!"
In fact, there is a problem of setting indicators for statistical actors in dramas. The standards and caliber of statistics are different, and the specific figures vary. In the statistics, the whole play and single play, separate and combined play, multiple names in one play, multiple roles in one play... all kinds of complex situations will directly affect the data. The most famous example is Wang Baochuan's story play. There is the so-called "Wangba Chu". If you write "The Complete Story of Wang Baochuan" or "The Complete Red Mane Horse", it will be a whole play; if you list "The Garden Gift", it will be a whole play. "Gold", "Color House Matching", "Three Fives", "Pinggui Farewell Kiln", "Exploring Han Kiln", "Wujia Slope", "Counting Grain" and "Da Deng Dian", that is, eight plays, and you can even add "Catching Three Passes" ” “Silver Sky Mountain” and “Huilong Pavilion”. Although Mei Lanfang's Wang Baochuan is good in character, she can handle playing the role of a war princess. In 2023, Mr. Zheng Chuanyin published "A Study of Mei Lanfang's Performance Repertoire", which recorded 150 Mei Lanfang's performances. The author is also very interested in this issue and has been paying attention to it for many years. I would like to "make up for the leaks and reveal the secrets of the emperor" based on the existing research and express my personal opinions.
Did Mei Lanfang play a role in Wu Sheng's highlight film "Ticket Picking"?
The author believes that the number of actors who are "capable of acting" and the actual number of acts they have acted in are two different concepts. Being "able to perform" does not mean that you have performed on stage. For example, some plays "violate taboos" may not be auspicious, and actors may not be willing to perform them; other plays have special requirements for supporting actors or other special requirements, and if the conditions are not met, it will be difficult to perform. From this point of view, there are some plays that Mei Lanfang may have learned, but for various reasons, they may not be presented on the stage. Statistics on Mei Lanfang's repertoire show that "he is capable of performing" and so on, which inevitably leads to the suspicion of making assumptions. Perhaps the plays he has actually performed on the stage should be taken as the criterion.
Mei Lanfang performs "The Meeting of Heroes"
There are some difficult issues in the statistics and research of Mei Lanfang's performances. First of all, the calculation of Mei's drama in the early stage is far more difficult than that in the middle and late stage. After all, it goes back a long way, especially when Mei was not famous, or when she was a supporting actor, or when she only acted once or twice in her life, it is difficult to count and easy to miss. "Mei Lanfang" published in 1913 is the earliest special issue on Mei. Its book is of great value in studying Mei's plays before he was 20 years old. In the existing statistics, the Three Kingdoms drama "White Gate Tower" is listed. Most people may take it for granted that Mei played Lu Bu in "White Gate Tower" because Mei has played in "Yuanmen Shooting Halberd" and "Yellow Crane Tower". However, according to the 1913 version of "Mei Lanfang", Mei played Diao Chan in "White Gate Tower". Therefore, no subjective assumptions can be made.
Secondly, Mei Lanfang's role in "Second Dan" and even some "odd jobs" are most easily overlooked and require special attention. "Second Dan" opera or more trivial work mostly belongs to the "official" path. As long as you know the singing and the general "place" on the stage, you can perform it. Even some supporting roles have similar performances, so you can draw inferences from one example, and anyone with a big belly can do it.It is reasonable to speculate that some of the "Second Dan" plays were learned by Mei Lanfang, while others may have only been prompted by others, and there were even some that he could have performed by himself. According to this, Mei has acted with others in her early years, such as Cheng Ying's wife in "Searching for Orphans", Ma Nu in "Nine Watchers", and the Second Lady in "The War of Peace", but there was no mention of any artistic creation, let alone There is the so-called "Mei School acting method". However, since we are counting Mei's acting in dramas throughout his life, it is not appropriate to be sparse and sparse. All the plays with minor characters and minor characters should be recorded.
Again, although there are stills of some plays that have been handed down, they may not have actually been performed. It's interesting and quite confusing. For example, Mei Lanfang co-produced the stills of "Hong Ni Pass" with Shang Xiaoyun and Cheng Yanqiu (picture below). Mei played the role of Wang Bodang, a young boy, with Shang playing the role of Dongfang and Cheng playing the maid. Someone took advantage of the photo and said emphatically: "Four famous actresses performed together in a hall performance... and a precious still was taken that night." It's nothing more than a dream. In fact, except for the stills, there is no evidence that the three famous actresses collaborated in "Hong Ni Guan". It turned out that this was a "game photo" that Mei invited Shang and Cheng to Tianjin to take specially. There are two "Hong Ni Pass" handed down to the world. During the same period, the three of them also took a group photo in casual clothes and a photo of "The Legend of White Snake" and "The Romance of the West Chamber". Play photos. Needless to say, they have never acted in "The Legend of White Snake" or "The Romance of the West Chamber", which the three collaborated on. Please see, the stills turned out to be an unexpected "deception", so there are two different things between having stills and actually acting.
The game stills of "Hong Ni Guan" by three famous actors
Repeatedly, Mei Lanfang's cross-dressing scene needs to be analyzed in detail, and there are quite some problems in it. For example, in 1919, Mei Lanfang's grandmother held a grand party for her 80th birthday. Mei performed "Ma Gu's Birthday", which was a local scene. In addition, there were many counter-acts. Mei actually performed in "Double Shake Party" and "Mian Mian" "Vat" and "Yanyang Tower" are released three times, one of a kind! What role does he play in the play? If the husband in the joke drama "Double Shake Club" and Zhang Cai in "The Noodle Smashing Tank" can be guessed, then it is really difficult to guess in the martial arts drama "Yanyang Tower". Mei plays the bully Gordon? Heroes bloom in spring? No, Mei turned into a side-sweeping Huyanbao. Unexpected! This is as unexpected as Mei's role as Li Kui in "Qingfeng Village" and Zhang Yi in "Fishing for Golden Turtles".
On August 31, 1951, "Wen Wei Po" serialized Mei Lanfang's "Forty Years of Stage Life", with stills of Mei Lanfang playing Mulan
Let's start with the cross-dressing drama and let's talk about a specific and interesting question: Did Mei cross-dress in Wu Sheng's major drama "Challenge" pulley"? Even ordinary martial arts students regard this play as a daunting task, which shows its high level of difficulty. I think Mei Lanfang has acted, mainly based on the photos of Meza in costume playing the role of a martial artist, and there are more than one. The stills are widely circulated and seem to be solid evidence, and prove from one aspect the omnipotence of the "King of Actors". However, this matter is quite suspicious. The author’s point of view is that Mei Lanfang has never acted in "Pulley Picking". There are three reasons to solve the problem: First, there are no advertisements, playbills or playbills of Mei Lanfang starring in "Tickling Picking". Specific records. Second, Mei's so-called appearance in the stills of "Pick the Pulley", wearing a handkerchief (black), hanging from the temples, very long. However, none of the martial arts seniors in the north, from Yang Xiaolou down to Yang Xiaolou, wore handkerchiefs when they performed "Pick and Pulley", as evidenced by the stills. Even if Gu Mei pretends to be "posing for photos", she will still learn from Yang Xiaolou. This is evidence from appearance. Third, the most important evidence is that the author found the original evidence when "Wen Wei Po" serialized "Forty Years of Stage Life". The newspaper of that day published this still, but specifically pointed out that this is the neatly draped flower in "Mulan Joins the Army". Mulan, not Gao Chong, the general in "Pick the Pulley". At the beginning of liberation, Mei Lanfang and his secretary Xu Jichuan wrote "Forty Years of Stage Life" every day and submitted it to Wenhui Po for serialization. This is Mei Lanfang's autobiography. The published text and stills were all approved by Mei himself, so this evidence is the most critical. To sum up, it can be concluded whether Mei Lanfang has acted in "Pick the Pulley", that is, Mei has not acted in this major martial arts drama.
Another still from Mei Lanfang's "Mulan Joins the Army" (often mistaken for "The Cart")
Lu Yuhaishu, Zhang Guanli Dai
There are naturally many references about Mei Lanfang's performances. Zheng Wen mainly referred to: Mei Lanfang "Mei Lanfang" Chapter 3 "Gu Qumei's Talk" edited by Liu Huogong; "Plum Blossoms" compiled by Liu Huogong in "Mei Lang Collection"; "Remembering Mr. Mei Lanfang" by Zhu Jiazhu; "Supplement to Mei Lanfang's Performances" by Zhang Guyu ( (Added on the basis of Zhu Wen); "Selected Scripts of Mei Lanfang's Performances"; Yu Liwei's "Generation and Evolution of Mei Lanfang's Performances", etc., based on the above six kinds of descriptions, they are arranged, combed, selected and cut. , recorded one hundred and fifty plays. Among them, "Mei Lanfang" compiled by Mei Society was published in 1918, and "Mei Lang Collection" compiled by Liu Huogong came out in 1920. They can be said to be the basic historical materials of Mei's early performances. Zhu Jiaxin is a member of the older generation of Gu Qujia. He has been fascinated by Mei's plays since he was young. Therefore, his article deserves attention. It is the statistics of Mei's plays by those who have experienced it. It may be used as a "basic" and supplemented by supplements. Revision. Zhang Guyu is a famous drama critic and has extensive knowledge. His "supplements" are particularly valuable. They include many unpopular and rare plays, and specialize in making up for "fish that slipped through the net" type of plays. It is difficult and obviously requires more skill.
Mei Lanfang's performance in "Silang Visits His Mother"
It should be pointed out that the style and description of "Selected Scripts of Mei Lanfang's Performances" (2015 edition of Culture and Art Publishing House) contain major errors, so citations must be particularly cautious. This book compiles and publishes the Beijing and Kunming stage performance scripts collected by Mei Lanfang, with beautiful intentions. However, please note: the scripts collected by Mei Lanfang are not equal to the scripts he actually performed, so the title of the book is untrue and may easily lead to misunderstanding. The book is divided into five major categories: traditional repertoire, single volume and total volume; Kunqu opera repertoire; Mei-pai repertoire, single volume and total volume. After a little inspection, you will find the problem. For example, "Women's Three Wars", "Capturing Jinling", "Sizhou City", "Bamboo Forest Strategy", etc. are all Wudan plays, and many of them contain Wudan's special or thrilling skills, or walking on stilts. , or "fight". As the saying goes, "there are specialties in the arts," how could Mei Lanfang perform these Wudan dramas involving fierce fights and even unique skills? It should be noted that Mei has been running a theater troupe for a long time. Some of the Beijing and Kunming stage performance scripts he collected should not be regarded as his personal performances in a narrow sense, but may be understood as the works of the Chenghua Society (later the Mei Opera Troupe) headed by him. Hidden copy. In other words, some of the plays were performed by the troupe he led, rather than Mei's personal plays. In the early years, there was an outstanding Wudan in Chenghua Society, namely Zhu Guifang. The above-mentioned plays should all be his specialty, and he often performed in front of Mei Lanfang. How can this be attributed to Mei Lanfang? There are also some plays in the book, such as "Driving the Luan", "Double Noble Picture", "Double Seal", "Double Sand River", "Double Lock Mountain", "Oolong Courtyard", "Rouge Tiger", "Catching a Wife in the Study", etc., which are similar to Mei's own dramas. The performance is also amazing. If we insist that Mei has acted, it is still what Hu Shi said: "Bring evidence!" It is worth noting that in these scripts, such as "Double Sand River", "Oolong Courtyard", "Rouge Tiger", etc., it was Mei's grandfather Qiaoling who performed in Passed. Mei said in "Forty Years of Stage Life" that her grandfather "also studied Hua Dan, such as "Desire", "Oolong Yuan", "Double Sand River", "The Story of a Sheep", "Si Zhicheng" and other plays..." From this point of view, Some of these plays should be ancestral copies of the Mei family.
There are many kinds of works about Mei Lanfang, such as "Mei Lanfang and Peking Opera", "Mei Lanfang Painting Biography", "Mei Lanfang Performing Arts Pictures", etc., there are "Mei Lanfang Performance Repertoire" compiled by Cheng Yuyan ", the article said: "It is difficult to give an accurate number of how many plays Mr. Mei Lanfang has performed. ... He publicly performed about 170 plays in his early and middle and late stages, and of course it is certainly not the only number." But in fact, there are only more than 110 plays listed in the article, far less than the 170 plays mentioned by the author. This article counts Pan Jinlian in "Five Flower Cave", "Four Five Flower Cave" and "Six Five Flower Cave" as three independent plays, which is inappropriate. He also said "Ma Zhaoyi in "Zhu Lian Village"", which is a big mistake. Not only is the title of the play wrong, but the characters in the play are also wrong. Mei plays the second emperor's wife in "Zhulian Village", while Ma Zhaoyi is the character in "Wuzhaoguan". He also said that it was natural for Mei to play Queen Zhou in "Hate on the Coal Mountain".Mei's collaboration with Gao Qingkui in "Hate on the Coal Mountain" was actually a "combination drama". Gao played his role as Chongzhen, and Mei performed in "Zhen'e Stabs the Tiger" behind, but it was just given the general title of "Hate on the Coal Mountain". Mistakes in "Hate on Coal Mountain" also appeared in Zhang Guyu's article. Even senior drama critics made mistakes, which further illustrates the difficulty of statistics.
Newly discovered rare historical materials: "Mei Shi Zhu Yuxuan Repertoire"
Are there any newly discovered and rare first-hand historical materials in the literature researching Mei Lanfang's performances? In the spring of 2022, at the "Mei Lan Fanghua - Mei Lanfang's Artistic Life Exhibition" held by the National Museum, a hand-folded copy of "Mei's Zhu Yuxuan Repertoire" (picture below, thanks to the Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum) was displayed. The brush notes are on a folded page. This object is a new historical material. The author realizes that it has important reference value for studying Mei's performance repertoire, because it is an old object in "Zhu Yuxuan" and is also the repertoire list "approved" by Mei himself. Therefore, it was first disclosed at an academic seminar to attract the attention of the academic community.
This handbook includes three categories: traditional opera, Kunqu opera and homemade opera (newly adapted opera). I will classify the plays and copy them out. At the same time, I will list the roles played by Mei in the play one by one to facilitate further research:
《 "Pailou Match", "Three Fives", "Farewell to the Kiln", "Exploring the Kiln", "Catching Three Passes", "Wujia Slope", "Yinkong Mountain", "Huilong Pavilion" Wang Baochuan; "Beauty Trap", "Farewell to the Palace", "Sacrifice to the River", "Filial Piety" "Righteousness Festival" Sun Shangxiang; "Da Baoguo" "Second Entering the Palace" Li Yanfei; "Qi Jie" "Yutang Chun" Su San; "Godson" Wang Chun'e; "Sacrifice Tower" White Snake; "Universal Frontier" Zhao Yanrong; "Snow in June" Dou E; "Mang Yuan Hui" Luo Fu; "Baolian Lantern" Wang Guiying; "Fenhe Bay" Liu Yingchun; "Royal Stele Pavilion" Meng Yuehua; "Crick Soup" Xue Yan; "Second Plum Blossoms" Chen Xingyuan; "Zhan Pu" "Guan" Xu Yanzhen; "Golden Bough" Princess Shengping; "Golden Water Bridge" Yinping Princess; "Luhua River" Fan Lihua; "Xiaogan Tian" Gong Shu Duan; "Sheep Pen" Zhao Jintang; "Cinnabar Mole" Jiang Shi; "Nantianmen" Cao Yujie; Ma Zhaoyi in "Wuzhaoguan"; Xiao Guiying in "Qing Dingzhu"; Song Qiaojiao in "Famen Temple"; Jin family in "The Son in the Mulberry Garden"; Huansha Girl in "The Story of Huansha"; Princess Tiejing in "The Order to Visit Mother"; "Flower Cave" Pan Jinlian; "Hongni Pass (front and rear editions)" the first lady and the second edition; "Fanjiang Pass" Xue Jinlian; "Muke Village" "Mu Tianwang" Mu Guiying; "Playing Phoenix" Sister Li Feng ; "Drunk" Yang Yuhuan; "Changbanpo" Mrs. Mi; "Nengren Temple" "Gong Yan Yuan" Zhang Jinfeng; "Desirable Yuan" Di Yunluan; "Broken Hongzhou" Mu Guiying; "Tianhe Pei" Weaver Girl; "Yanmen Pass" (eight volumes)" Princess Qinglian; "Plum Blossom Pairing (front and back editions)" Su Yulian; "The Red Python" python spirit; "Pipa Yuan" the scorpion spirit; "Zhulian Village" The Second Queen; "Odd Double Club" Li Guizhi ; "Shooting Halberd" Lu Bu; "Yellow Crane Tower" Zhou Yu; "Zhentanzhou" Yang Zaixing; "Sifan" Se Kong; "Out of the Fortress" Wang Zhaojun; "Yao Tai" Princess Jinzhi; "Hidden Boat" Wu Feixia; "Good Times" " "Broken Bridge" and "Water Flood" by the White Snake; "Having a Study" by Chunxiang; "Wandering in the Garden", "Dreams" and "Searching for Dreams" by Du Liniang; "Qin Tiao", "Asking the Sick" and "Stealing Poems" by Chen Miaochang; "An Hui", "Qiao Jing", "Zuiyuan" by Jing Wenluan; "Ding Qing", "Giving Together", "Xu Pavilion" and "Small Banquet" by Yang Yuhuan; "Stab the Tiger" Zhen'e; "Kite Wrong" by Zhan Shujuan; "Lion's Roar" "Record of the Liu Family"; "Dressing and Throwing a Halberd" Diao Chan; "The Goddess Scatters Flowers" The Goddess; "Mrs. Shangyuan" Mrs. Shangyuan; "Chang'e Flying to the Moon" Chang'e; "Ma Gu Offers Birthday" Magu; "Dai Yu Buries Flowers" Dai Jade; "A Smile of a Daughter of Gold" Qingwen; "Mulan Joins the Army (front and back editions)" Hua Mulan; "Red Thread Stealing the Box" Red Thread; "Farewell My Concubine" Yu Ji; "Lian Jinfeng" Lian Jinfeng; "Xi Shi (front and rear editions)" Xi Shi; Luo Shen in Luo Shen; Li Shanke in Prison Mandarin Duck; Deng Xiagu in Deng Xiagu; Lin Renfen in A Wisp of Ma (front and rear editions); Yang Yuhuan in Taizhen Gaiden; Hua Rui Madam in Hua Rui.
The above-mentioned plays all have one play title on a separate line. The total number of plays is one hundred and five. However, if we look closely, there are complicated situations such as the separate arrangement and merging of the whole play and the single play, and the single play and the sub-play mentioned above.In particular, the repertoire of Kunqu Opera mostly consists of single plays. If it were recorded in the form of "The Peony Pavilion" ("Study", "Wandering in the Garden", "Dreams", "Dream Seeking"), and only one play was counted, the total number would be reduced; but it is considered late. Kun Opera in the Qing and Republic of China generally calculated the number of excerpts, so it was better not to merge them.
A collection of Mei Lanfang's old plays
If we inquire further, the purpose and age of the hand folds will become issues worthy of study. After repeated consideration, the author speculated that "Mei's Zhuyuxuan Repertoire" should be written by someone from the "Mei Party". As Mei's repertoire increased day by day, special statistics were compiled by category for the purpose of inquiry. Of course, there is a smaller possibility that in the early years, Mei Sing Tang opera was used to select plays for the host family, that is, the excerpts of the opera. In the past, when people who held concerts invited famous actors or majors to sing, there was always the problem of repertoire selection. Generally speaking, famous actors or actresses will take out the opera excerpts prepared in advance for the host to choose from. In the Qing Dynasty novel "A Dream of Red Mansions", there is already a plot in which the master of the Jia family ordered a play according to the excerpts of the play. The most famous Xi (Fu) Liancheng Society in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China also had similar dramas. Therefore, "Mei's Zhuyuxuan Plays" may also be excerpts for ordering operas. In particular, this opera excerpt includes several cross-cutting niche plays such as "Shooting a Halberd", "Yellow Crane Tower" and "Zhen Tanzhou". Cross-dressing plays are generally rare in commercial performances, and actors cannot perform them easily; but the situation in hall plays is different. If a knowledgeable owner hopes that the plays will be rarer, more festive, and more interesting, he will ask the actors to perform some daily routines. It is a play that can be seen with new eyes and ears, and at the same time, it also provides artistic enjoyment that cannot be obtained by watching plays in ordinary theaters. For example, Mei Lanfang once collaborated with Yang Xiaolou on "Zhen Tanzhou" at the 40th birthday celebration party of "Mei Party" leader Feng Gengguang. Mei played the role of Yang Zaixing, a young boy, and the longevity star and the guests had a lot of fun. This is a play that has never been seen before and is extremely rare. Another niche drama, "Yellow Crane Tower", was also performed at the Feng Family Hall, which shows their friendship. The excerpts from the play are just speculation. As for the year of "Mei's Zhui Yuxuan Plays", it should be roughly determined based on the production dates of Mei's new plays. For example, "Jun Xiren", "The Phoenix Returns to the Nest" and "Spring Lantern Riddles" did not appear, while "Taizhen Gaiden" did not appear There are as many as four copies, and this fold has not been marked. Taking comprehensive considerations into account, it is estimated that they were dated between 1925 and 1927. Mei was only in her early thirties at that time, but her repertoire was already so rich that she was second to none among the female actors. In short, this material is undoubtedly a first-hand historical material for the study of Mei's early repertoire, and its importance is far beyond that of ordinary materials.
"From the top to the bottom of the earth": four new plays
At this point, an important question is, can we add a few more plays performed by Mei Lanfang based on the existing statistics? The author would like to say that although it is not "the road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky" to pick up the missing pieces and add to the repertoire, it is indeed not easy. Zheng Wen neatly tailored it based on a variety of materials, without adding a new drama per se. With the newly discovered "Mei Shi Zhui Yuxuan Repertoire", it may be possible to add "Mrs. Hua Rui". However, although Mei has plans to rehearse the play, there has been no record of an official performance. Perhaps the people in the "Mei Party" were "ahead of their time" in including the drama in the pipeline. In 1931, Shang Xiaoyun released "Mrs. Flower Stam". Why did Mei want to act but didn't? Did Shang get his script from Mei? All of these are intriguing and worthy of special investigation. Except for the questionable "Mrs. Flower Stamina", are there really no regrets in Mei's repertoire? The author "goes up to the poor blue and falls down to the underworld", and believes that it can still be supplemented by four more. Please describe them one by one.
Portrait of "Si Zhicheng"
First of all, "Si Zhicheng" is added. This play tells the story of Kuo Shao Qinglou looking for flowers and willows. The famous painter Shen Rongpu in the late Qing Dynasty has handed down large-scale portraits, which are extremely rare. Mei Qiaoling, Xu Xiaoxiang and other famous actors and actresses are among them. Note that in the painting, there are warblers and swallows surrounding the young master, so we know that there are many female actors required. This drama should actually be regarded as a fashion ensemble drama, and Mei Lanfang participated in it in his early years. Secondly, the cross-dressing dramas "Double Shake Club" and "Four Heroes Village" were added. The husband of "Double Shake Meeting" has already said it before, so I won't repeat it. "The Village of the Four Heroes" is a famous short-fight martial arts drama. The story was published in the novel "Green Peony". It was performed by Mei Lanfang at a Beijing hall party during the New Year in 1921 with Wang Yaoqing, Wang Fengqing, Liu Hongsheng and other famous actors. Mei Lanfang may have only acted in it in her life. This time, it's very easy to miss. Once again, the script drama "Hunyuan Box" is supplemented.There are as many as eight books of this play, and "The Thorny Red Python" and "Pipa Yuan" are two of them, which can be performed separately. However, Mei Lanfang also participated in several other works, so when calculating the repertoire, it was not enough to only list "The Thorny Red Python" and "The Fate of the Pipa". It would be better to list "The Hunyuan Box" to be complete. This play is a story about the transformation of gods and demons into Taoism. It is based on the Ming Dynasty. The plot is absurd and complex. It is called "Elucidating the Tao and Eliminating Evils", also known as "Five Poisons". It is a festival play and is mostly performed around the Dragon Boat Festival. Mei's "The Red Python" plays a red python spirit, and "Pipa Yuan" plays a scorpion spirit. There are plots in the plays where fairies transform into beauties.
There is another play, although it is not a supplement, but it is worth talking about because it is interesting and shows Mei Lanfang's profound knowledge, namely "The Temple of Eight Waxes". Since the Republic of China, "The Temple of Eight Waxes" has been popularly performed as a major part of mission dramas and hall dramas. But what role does Mei play in the drama? Press, this play can be played in the main role or in a reverse role. According to the author's investigation, Mei Lanfang has played at least three roles in the play: Chu Biao, Huang Tianba, and Zhang Guilan. Playing Guilan is her true calling; playing Chu Biao and Tian Ba is a cross-over role. In comparison, Mei has played Wu Sheng Tianba more times; while Chu Biao has been played only once, on December 21, 1930, when the new stage of the Peking Chinese Drama Society was completed and she played the role of "Eight Wax Temple" in the main role. Chu Biao. As a famous actress who has never worn a beard, it is really a very interesting opera story to shake off her white beard (Chu Biao has a difficult beard swinging performance in the play). King Mei must have practiced for a long time in private in order to get rid of his long white beard! I remember that Shi Yihong, a recent descendant of the Mei School, also crossed paths with Chu Biao. This has a provenance and is worthy of praise!
How a Grandmaster is Made
Liyuan Xing talks about the "ability" of the masters who founded the sect, and there seems to be a kind of "well-intentioned promotion" in general. Because the masters have great artistic abilities, their "ability to play" is naturally like "Han Xin's generals, the more the better". But in fact, expressions like "able to play hundreds of games" are probably just "claims" and difficult to implement one by one. Generally speaking, the study of an artist's repertoire is not as detailed as solving math problems. Because of his special status as the "King of Actors" and his far-reaching influence, Mei Lanfang has the most fruitful research results among all actors. Correspondingly, the statistical research on its repertoire is also in-depth and detailed, with countless treasures. How can the research on other famous actors' plays be as detailed as this?
Regarding Mei Lanfang's performance repertoire, if you want to get accurate data, you really need to measure every detail and "care about every detail". You can't get accurate figures without spending a lot of effort. And if the standards set are different, the quantity will be different. In the past, the "so-called" type of research that was carried out in a big way and swallowed up in a nutshell often cannot withstand scrutiny. Now it seems that Zheng Wen's statistics of 150 is a basic figure. It can be said that "although it is not a hit, it is not far away." If we can review and revise it carefully in the future, "the pen will be the pen, the sharpening will be the sharpening", and then some careful and thoughtful additions and subtractions will be done, it may be closer to the truth.
Mei Lanfang's role in "Taizhen Gaiden"
To put it simply, a female actor has acted in about 150 plays. Is it more or less? You can make some horizontal comparisons. According to Appendix 1 of "Repertoire of Cheng Yanqiu's Performances", "Repertoires of Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera Performed by Cheng Yanqiu in His Lifetime", Cheng's 28 plays and 76 traditional plays were counted, totaling 104. Considering that this book was compiled by Yanqiu's son Yongjiang, although it is not perfect, it is basically reliable and trustworthy. In the large picture album "Xun Huisheng" (edited by Wang Jiaxi), there is an index of Xun Huisheng's performances, listing sixty-seven plays (incomplete statistics). In contrast, Mei Lanfang's repertoire is even richer. Although Mei's actual repertoire is not as many as people think (referring to 300 to 400 plays), she has about 150 plays, which is still among the best among Peking Opera female roles. Perhaps some female actors (such as Shanghai-style famous actors) have acted in more movies than Mei Lanfang, but the number of movies is only one aspect, and the quality is obviously more important. Comprehensive consideration of the quantity and quality of Mei Lanfang's performances, we can conclude that he has performed many times, has been praised loudly, can be established, spread widely, and can be remembered. He is worthy of his reputation as a great master.
Author: Gu Shuguang
Text: Gu Shuguang Editor: Wu Dongkun Editor: Shu Ming
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