Mei Baojiu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mei Baojiu
|
|
|---|---|
| 梅葆玖 | |
_(cropped).jpg)
Poster announcing Mei Baojiu's appearance at the Sunbeam Theatre in Hong Kong
|
|
| Born | 29 March 1934 |
| Died | 25 April 2016 (aged 82) Beijing, China
|
| Occupation | Peking opera artist |
| Parents |
|
Mei Baojiu (Chinese: 梅葆玖; pinyin: Méi Bǎojiǔ) was a famous Chinese Peking opera performer. He was born on March 29, 1934, and passed away on April 25, 2016.
Mei Baojiu was a master of the "Dan" role in Peking Opera. This role is usually played by men who act as female characters. His father, Mei Lanfang, was one of the most famous Peking Opera performers ever.
Mei Baojiu was the ninth and youngest child of Mei Lanfang. That's why he was called Baojiu, because in Chinese, jiu means "nine." He was the only one of Mei Lanfang's children to continue his father's special style of performing the Dan role, known as the Méi School.
From a young age, Mei Baojiu learned Peking Opera from many talented teachers. He studied with Wang Youqing, whose uncle had taught his father. He also learned martial arts and another type of opera called Kunqu opera.
Mei Baojiu performed in many classic operas. Some of his famous shows include The Hegemon-King Bids His Concubine Farewell, Lady General Mu Takes Command, and The story of Yang Guifei. He helped share Peking Opera with people around the world. He also taught more than twenty students, helping to keep this art form alive.
Mei Baojiu's Life Story
Mei Baojiu was born in Shanghai in 1934. His father, Mei Lanfang, saw that Baojiu had a beautiful voice and a natural talent for Peking Opera. So, his father decided to have him trained in this art. Baojiu loved Peking Opera from the start.
In 1942, his parents brought in famous teachers to train him. One teacher taught him the "Qingyi" style, which is a type of Dan role. Another teacher taught him Kunqu Opera. His father also helped him learn whenever he had time.
When Baojiu was ten, he performed for the first time in Shanghai. He played a character named Xue Yi in a play called San Niang teaches the child. At twelve, he performed with his sister, Mei Baoyue, in Yang Silang Visits His Mother.
By age 13, he was performing in charity shows. He acted in famous plays like Legend of the White Snake and The Story Of Su San. When he was 16, he joined his father's touring group, the Mei Lanfang Troupe. They traveled all over the country.
Sometimes, Mei Baojiu would perform for the first few days of a show, and then his father would perform. They even acted together in Legend of the White Snake. Baojiu played the green snake, while his father played the white snake.
His father, Mei Lanfang, always helped Baojiu improve. Once, after watching Baojiu perform, his father suggested he speak faster in a certain part of the play. This would make the scene more exciting for the audience.
Mei Baojiu also got to perform with other very famous older actors. Their guidance helped him become an even better performer. He worked hard to promote his father's unique "Méi School" style of opera.
In 1961, after his father passed away, Mei Baojiu became the leader of the Mei Lanfang Peking Opera troupe. He performed in many well-known plays during this time. However, after 1964, traditional plays were not allowed for a while. So, Baojiu had to work on things like recording and stage lighting.
Fourteen years later, in 1978, Mei Baojiu returned to the stage. He reorganized the troupe and brought back many traditional plays. He helped make these classic shows popular again.
From 1981 to 1984, he and his sister, Mei Baoyue, took part in special events to honor their father. He also shortened a long eight-hour play about Yang Guifei into a three-hour show in the late 1980s.
In 1993, Mei Baojiu led his troupe to Taiwan. They put on wonderful performances for the public. He played a big part in sharing Chinese culture and Peking Opera with others.
Mei Baojiu trained many students, more than twenty in total. Some of his famous students include Li Shengsu and Hu Wenge, who was his only male student. For the last twenty years of his life, he mainly focused on teaching these students.
Mei Baojiu was also a member of an important political group in China. In 2009, he suggested that Peking Opera should be taught in elementary schools. In 2012, he also suggested using animation to make Peking Opera more interesting for teenagers.
In March 2012, he received a special degree from a university in Japan. Sadly, Mei Baojiu became sick in March 2016 and passed away on April 25, 2016, at the age of 82.
Famous Performances
Like his father, Mei Baojiu was famous for playing the "Dan" role in classic Peking Opera plays.
- The Hegemon-King Bids His Concubine Farewell
This play tells a sad love story. It's about a warrior named Xiang Yu and his favorite concubine, Consort Yu. Mei Baojiu played the role of Consort Yu.
- Lady General Mu Takes Command
This opera was first a different kind of Chinese opera. Mei Lanfang, Mei Baojiu's father, changed it for Peking Opera in 1959. Mei Baojiu performed this play in a special way called "Shuang xia guo." This means that different types of opera styles are performed together in one show.
Mei Baojiu's Family
Mei Baojiu's mother, Fu Zhifang, was his father's second wife. They had nine children, but only four of them lived to adulthood.
Mei Baojiu was the youngest child. His oldest brother, Mei Baochen, was an engineer. His other elder brother, Mei Shaowu, was a researcher and led a group that studied Mei Lanfang's art.
His elder sister, Mei Baoyue, was also a Peking Opera performer. She played the "Laosheng" role, which is a male character. She sometimes performed with Mei Baojiu. Mei Baojiu was the only one of his siblings to carry on the special "Meipai Qingyi" style of performing.
Mei Baojiu's wife was named Lin Liyuan. She worked as a helper for the Mei Lanfang Troupe. They did not have any children.
