Mei Lanfang's Travels in America
by Qi Rushan
About This Novel
In 1929, Mei Lanfang went to the United States to perform the "new costume drama" "Fenhe Bend" (playing Liu Yingchun). "Fenhe Bend" tells the story of Tang Dynasty general Xue Gui returning to his hometown after an eighteen-year expedition and reuniting with his wife Liu Yingchun amid longing and misunderstanding. It is a touching story. The play breaks through the limitations of traditional Qingyi duet singing that does not focus on figure. It is a representative work of Mei Lanfang's major innovation in Peking Opera's female performing arts, which focuses on singing and dancing. Several plays made American men and women infatuated with each other, but they said, "I don't understand the lines, but I understand them in my heart." A person who walked into the dream of the overseas Chinese compatriots was almost nostalgic for their country, and it was really "hard to say goodbye when you want to see them." Mei Lanfang brought Peking Opera to the United States to perform in 1929, which became a memorable story in the cultural exchanges between China and the United States.
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