Mei Lanfang is a world-renowned master of performing arts. Shanghai is not only a blessed place for Mei Lanfang to become famous, but also a window to open his artistic horizons - he lived in Shanghai for nearly 20 years. Wandering in the streets and alleys of Shanghai, whether it is Mei Lanfang's former residence, the International Hotel, the former site of the Tianchan Stage, or the Majestic Theatre, you can see his traces everywhere.
June 14th is the "Cultural and Natural Heritage Day". That morning, visitors from all over the world followed the planners of the "Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang Cultural Relics Theme Trail - two experts from the Shanghai History Museum (Shanghai Revolutionary History Museum) and the field of architectural heritage protection, to visit the national cultural relics theme trail and learn about Mei Lanfang, Shanghai's historical buildings and the past of the opera world.
"Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang Cultural Relics Theme Trail City Walk
"Plum blossoms blooming in the East - Mei Lanfang cultural relics themed trail" was selected as a high-quality route this year by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Development and Reform Commission as one of the "Excellent Cultural Relics Theme Trails of 2024". This route is guided by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage and jointly planned by the Shanghai History Museum (Shanghai Revolutionary History Museum) and the East China Institute of Huajian Group. It relies on immovable cultural relics resources to connect points into a line, outlining the trajectory and places of Mr. Mei Lanfang's activities in Shanghai. Citizens and tourists can understand Mr. Mei Lanfang's artistic life and the inseparable relationship between him and the city of Shanghai through walking and watching.
34 immovable cultural relics link Mei Lanfang's journey in Shanghai
Mei Lanfang is a world-renowned master of performing arts. Shanghai is not only a blessed place for Mei Lanfang to become famous, but also a window to open his artistic horizons. The Shanghai experience and Shanghai culture had a direct and important impact on Mei Lanfang's series of innovations in Peking Opera art.
Mei Lanfang
In 1913, the 19-year-old Mei Lanfang arrived in Shanghai for the first time and performed on stage. He became an instant success in Shanghai and became a big hit in Shanghai. He set sail from Shanghai, integrated various arts, quickly stood out and gained national reputation, and became the "King of Drama" voted by the people. In 1932, Mei Lanfang moved to Shanghai and lived there until 1951, when he moved back to Beijing from Shanghai. His relationship with Shanghai lasted for nearly half a century.
"Mr. Mei Lanfang lived in Shanghai for nearly 20 years. He has been to so many places, performed on so many stages, and made so many friends. When we were planning the special exhibition "Plum Blossoms in the East" in 2023, we were wondering if we could draw a map of these locations to outline Mr. Mei's whereabouts in Shanghai." Ding Jiarong, curator of the special exhibition "Plum Blossoms in the East - Mei Lanfang in Shanghai" at the Shanghai History Museum and planner of the "Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang cultural relics themed trail, told The Paper, "In the end, we sorted out more than 30 traceable cultural relics and architectural sites from the nearly 100 movements and places left by Mr. Mei Lanfang in Shanghai, and strung them together to form a themed trail with Mei Lanfang as the character."
"Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang Cultural Relics Theme Trail Map
Focusing on Mei Lanfang's opera performances, friendships and daily life in Shanghai, the trail has formed three main themes: "Old Pictures of Opera Garden", "Friendship of Gold and Stone" and "Tracing on the Sea". Currently, the trail involves 34 immovable cultural relics, including 2 national key cultural relics protection units, 8 Shanghai cultural relics protection units, 5 district-level cultural relics protection units, and 19 unclassified immovable cultural relics.
"Old Photos of Liyuan" starts from the Majestic Theatre and visits the theatres that Mei Lanfang has visited. The locations involved include the Majestic Theatre, Zhang Family Garden, Lyceum Theatre, the former site of Liyuan Public Office, Gong Stage, Nanjing Theatre, the former site of Tianchan Stage, People's Stage, Xinguang Theatre, and China Theatre; "Friendship of Gold and Stone" starts from Zhou Xinfang's former residence and explores Mei Lanfang's "circle of friends". The locations involved include Zhou Xinfang's former residence, Monastery Apartment, Huang Xing's former residence, Li Zukui's former residence, Hengshanfang, the former site of the Cartoon Association (Ding Song's former residence), Ziyuan, Liu Haisu's former residence, Chen Kuilong's former residence, Jinmen Hotel, and Wu Changshuo's former residence; "Tracing on the Sea" starts from Mei Lanfang's former residence and relives Mei Lanfang's urban life. The locations involved include Mei Lanfang's former residence, Pathé Building, Shangfang Garden, Red House Western Restaurant, Baxianqiao YMCA Building, Daguangming Theatre, International Hotel, and Shanghai Mansion.
Uncovering Mei Lanfang's past in the opera world while walking
In the morning, the rainy weather that had lasted for a week suddenly stopped, and the long-lost sunny weather appeared. Visitors from all directions gathered in the lobby on the first floor of the Shanghai Museum of History. After signing in, picking up booklets, putting on stickers, and wearing headsets, the mighty team set out from the former Jockey Club Building, a historical building that has undergone many changes in the history of the Shanghai Museum of History, and walked towards other buildings that carry history.
The semicircle formed by the Grand Theatre, International Hotel, Golden Gate Hotel, People's Grand Stage, Tianchan Stage and other architectural sites is not closed. Every 5 minutes of walking, you will encounter a historical building and several opera stories. Ding Jiarong, the planner of the "Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang Cultural Relics Theme Trail, tells the important historical facts about Mei Lanfang and the architectural sites. Zheng Ning, an expert in architectural heritage protection and co-planner of the trail, deeply analyzes the value of historical buildings along the route.
"Across the street is the Grand Cinema, formerly the Grand Theater, which was rebuilt from the Carlton Ballroom in 1928 and is known as the 'No. 1 Cinema in the Far East'," said Ding Jiarong. So what is the connection between it and Mei Lanfang? In 1928, the Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang personally cut the ribbon for the opening of the Grand Theater, and "the opening of the Grand Theater" became a popular story. For this reason, Zhou Shoujuan, the editor-in-chief of the supplement of Shenbao, also wrote an article entitled "The Opening of the Grand Theater".
Historical photos of the Grand Theatre
Photos of the current situation of the Grand Theater
However, the Grandview Cinema we see now is not the one that Mei Lanfang cut the ribbon for. In 1930, the Grandview Cinema broadcast the American film "Fearless of Death" which was insulting to China, and was boycotted by the public and public opinion, and was forced to close down. In 1933, it was rebuilt by the Hungarian architect Hudec.
Historical photos of the International Hotel
After passing the Grand Theater, continue walking towards Nanjing West Road for about 4 minutes to the International Hotel, which was the tallest building in Shanghai at that time. Mei Lanfang visited it many times. "On February 18, 1935, people from all walks of life in Shanghai held a large banquet on the second floor to send Mei Lanfang off to perform in the Soviet Union. In 1936, when Chaplin came to Shanghai from Japan, Mei Lanfang, Hu Die and other literary and artistic figures hosted a banquet at the International Hotel."
The Golden Gate Hotel is an Italian palace-style building to the east of the International Hotel along Nanjing West Road. The Golden Gate Hotel is associated with Mei Lanfang's contacts with people in the Shanghai painting and calligraphy circles, as well as the story of Mei Lanfang growing a beard to make a living by selling paintings. Wu Hufan, a modern Shanghai painter and appraiser, held a wedding at the Golden Gate Hotel, and both Mei Lanfang and Zhou Xinfang attended. Mei Lanfang and Wu Hufan had known each other for a long time, and they had a common interest in art. Wu Hufan, Mei Lanfang, and Zheng Wuchang were all born in 1894, the year of Jiawu, and they also jointly initiated the establishment of the "Jiawu Tonggen Qianling Association", a folk society.
"Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang Cultural Relics Theme Trail City Walk
The People's Grand Stage on Jiujiang Road and the Tianchan Stage on Fuzhou Road are places directly related to Mei Lanfang's stage art. According to Ding Jiarong, Mei Lanfang performed many times at the Grand Stage. In 1930, before going to the United States for a performance, Mei Lanfang performed here for a short period of time with Ma Lianliang; in 1934, the Grand Stage was renovated and reopened, and Mei Lanfang and Ma Lianliang performed here again forty times. The performance of "The Return of the Phoenix" here in 1956 was Mei Lanfang's last performance in Shanghai.
Historical photos of Tianchan Stage
Former Site of Tianchan Stage
Zheng Ning was in charge of the protection and restoration of the old site of Tianchan Stage, restoring the building's exterior to its historical appearance as much as possible and improving the performance and quality of the interior space. According to her, the Tianchan Stage, then the "No. 1 Theater in the Far East", had been relocated and renamed several times over the past century.
The Tianchan Theatre, located at the intersection of Yunnan Middle Road and Fuzhou Road, was not originally located here, but near the "Seventh Heaven" of the New Wing On Building. In 1929, the Wing On Company next to the Tianchan Theatre wanted to expand and took back the land, so the Tianchan Theatre moved here. The current Tianchan Shaw Theatre was built in 1925 and has been renamed many times. In 1994, the building was renovated with the support of Run Run Shaw and reopened as the "Tianchan Shaw Theatre".
Mei Lanfang performs "Anti-Jin Soldiers" on the Tianchan stage Huangpu District Archives
"(Beijing opera actors) cannot become famous without entering Tianchan. Mei Lanfang was a frequent guest on the Tianchan stage, and many of his classic stage moves were left on this stage." Ding Jiarong introduced that, for example, the first performance in 1916 invited by Xu Shaoqing arranged many new plays by Mei Lanfang, from the ancient costume play "Chang'e Flying to the Moon" to the modern costume plays "Deng Xiagu" and "A Strand of Hemp". Later, Mei Lanfang also performed in cooperation on the Tianchan stage in 1920, 1922, and 1932. In 1933, the premiere of "Anti-Jin Soldiers" was also on the Tianchan stage, inspiring the audience's enthusiasm for resisting the Japanese and saving the nation. In 1938, Mei Lanfang's last performance in Shanghai before the Anti-Japanese War was also on the Tianchan stage. After that, he went to Hong Kong and did not return to Shanghai until 1942...
List of the first performance of "Anti-Jin Soldiers"
Group performance by the Yuyin Xiaoshe Children's Peking Opera Troupe
The walk ended with a performance of "Farewell My Concubine" by the Yuyin Children's Peking Opera Troupe at Tianchan Stage.
"This walk is really full of practical knowledge." A viewer told the reporter of The Paper, "Through this 'walking classroom' method, we can touch the deep pulse of opera art and urban culture."
"Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang Cultural Relics Theme Trail City Walk
Some new discoveries, some no longer traceable
When talking about the planning process of the "Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang Cultural Relics Theme Trail, Ding Jiarong, one of the planners, said, "There are some surprises of new discoveries, but also regrets of not being able to find what you have been looking for."
It has been more than 100 years since Mei Lanfang first performed in Shanghai. It has also been 60 or 70 years since Mei Lanfang lived in Shanghai. The appearance of Shanghai has changed a lot. Some street names have been changed and some old sites have long been lost. "When planning this theme trail, we consulted a lot of documents and archives, including Mei Lanfang's chronology, Mei Lanfang's memoirs, interviews with the descendants of Mr. Mei and his friends, etc. We found a lot of information and archives to sort out clues and locate them."
Mei Lanfang's former residence is located in the Sinan Mansion Garden House Complex. It is equipped with a protection plaque and a QR code for reading the building.
Mr. Mei Lanfang left more than 100 activity tracks and places in Shanghai. The more than 30 points that were finally selected were first considered from the perspective of the importance of the event itself, such as whether it was a key node in Mr. Mei Lanfang's artistic career, and also the preservation of the building itself, whether there are traces of the building itself. For example, the relationship between Mei Lanfang and the International Hotel is very important. In 1935, a large banquet was held here to send off Mei Lanfang to perform in the Soviet Union, and in 1936, Charlie Chaplin was entertained here. The International Hotel building is well preserved and is a national key cultural relic protection unit. Another example is the Dangui First Stage, where Mei Lanfang performed for the first time in Shanghai. It is of great significance to Mei Lanfang's stage career. According to documents, it was at the intersection of Simalu and Daxin Street, but this stage has been demolished, and its old site can no longer be found, and it cannot be included.
During the textual research, some new discoveries were made. For example, the "National Association Building of the Young Women's Christian Association of China" was the place where the international film master Charlie Chaplin first met Mei Lanfang and others when he came to Shanghai in 1936. Mei Lanfang and Hu Die met Chaplin at the welcome tea party at the International Art Theater on the fourth floor of this building, not at the International Hotel as originally believed.
Shanghai Mansion
"In order to verify the location of 'Xiyin Hall' on Nanyang Road, we went there many times, but unfortunately we found that this place no longer exists." Ding Jiarong said. "Xiyin Hall" is the former residence of Zhao Fengchang, a politician in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, known as the "mother-in-law of the Republic of China". Zhao Fengchang once participated in the planning of "Southeast Mutual Protection". He lived in Shanghai before and after the Revolution of 1911. His residence, "Xiyin Hall" at No. 10 Nanyang Road, Shanghai, became an informal meeting place for the North and the South to discuss secrets and make plans. Zhao Fengchang was also Mei Lanfang's benefactor. He loved Peking Opera and admired Mei Lanfang very much. In 1920 and 1922, when Mei Lanfang came to Shanghai for performances, Zhao Fengchang entertained him with banquets in Xiyin Hall, and many guests gathered. "In addition to his own talents, Mr. Mei Lanfang's success in Shanghai was also greatly influenced by the admiration and pursuit of a group of Qing Dynasty veterans like Zhao Fengchang."
"Plum Blossoms in the East" Mei Lanfang Cultural Relics Theme Trail City Walk
- OJAjXZcay06/15/2025