Record And Witness Of Mei Lanfang Performing Live

Mei Lanfang, an outstanding representative of Peking Opera performing arts, making his name as the synonym of the modern Peking Opera arts from his great contributions and profound influence in that period. Shenbao, the biggest circulated and influenced newspaper in modern China, has recorded and witnessed the development process of Mei Lanfang’s opera career. Form Mei Lanfang’s first show in the Shanghai in1913to the closure of the newspaper in1946, the Shenbao covered various reports and advertisements so abundantly during this37years that9991items can be found by the key word "Mei Lanfang" alone.With the historical drama published in the Shenbao as the research object and previous studies as preference, this paper aims to make a overall research about the drama advertisements, news and comments in the whole cultural context of this newspaper. And then examines Mei Lanfang’s shows in the whole country, especially in Shanghai, in the Republican period and figures out the way he get well known around the world in order to make a more objective comment of Mei Lanfang and its acting arts with a new perspective.The main contents of this paper are as follows:The first chapter makes a discuss on the characteristics of Mei Lanfang’s opera advertisements published in the Shenbao, figures out the relationship between that and Mei Lanfang’s acting career and goes deeply into the reasons for the disparities of Mei Lanfang’s new operas shows.Based on the news of Mei Lanfang published in Shenbao, the second chapter investigates the historical conditions typical sense of Mei Lanfang and his Peking Opera performing arts in modern times around his stage performances, social activities, the image constructed under the public view, etc.Around the comments of Mei Lanfang’s opera, the third chapter explores the artistic charm of Mei Lanfang of his social impact.The fourth chapter outlines the Mai Laifang’s four shows in foreign coutries, including two in Japan separately in1919and1924, one in the USA in1930and one in the Soviet Union in1935and talk about public opinion and international influence through the description of these four shows.The fifth chapter sorts out the materials of Mei Lanfang’s records, films and drama broadcasts, which were published in Shenbao, and makes a discussion on the significance of" new media" to Mei Lanfang’s artistic practices.