The Mei Lanfang museum

The icon of Beijing opera, Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), spent the last 11 years of his life near the center of the capital city. He lived in house number 9, just off Hugosi hutong on Beihain's west side. The house was originally part of Prince Gong's palace. Four years after Mei's death, his estate bequeathed most of his effects to the state, and the house was converted into the Mei Lanfang Museum in 1986.

One of Mei's greatest achievements as an artist was renewing Beijing opera to such an extent that a new school of thought was born. He is also remembered as the artist who brought Beijing opera to the world.

A calligraphy made by Deng Xiaoping himself welcomes visitors to the museum. The plaque hangs just above the entrance gate. A marble bust of Mei Lanfang seems to invite people to come in and step into this cosmopolitan opera star's private side.

The museum is a small and charming oasis just off the crowded main street, and stopping there is a refreshing experience, whether you're an opera fan or not. One of the most interesting points of the museum is a photo exhibition in a building on the left, right after you enter the gate. The hundreds of photos depict Mei's rise to stardom and show aspects of his private life as well. This part of the museum used to be the reception, and it was built later than the others. Proof of Mei Lanfang's international success can be found here, among them, photos from his tour of the United States in the 1930s. His tour was an unqualified success both personally and for Beijing opera. In his trip, he met the Hollywood stars of the day, such as Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin.

Calligraphy by Deng Xiaoping (Image: Radio86)The main courtyard is reached through the photo exhibition hall. The buildings around it are as they were when he lived there. The rooms to the east and west of the courtyard contain the costumes and props that Mei Lanfang used, as well as program leaflets from performances and photos showing him performing. Towards the end of the Qing dynasty, it was the custom for men to perform even the role of women in Beijing opera. Mei Lanfang famously portrayed young women, or the dan role. The pictures to testify to how well he did this, seemingly transformed to a young woman with the flick of a finger or a lift of an eyebrow. In one of the rooms, excerpts from Mei's performances are flashed on a TV screen. In fact, the sounds of Beijing opera can be heard everywhere.

Mei Lanfang's private quarters can be viewed only through the windows. (Image: Radio86)Mei's private living quarters are on the north side of the courtyard, but unfortunately, the inside can only be glimpsed from the window. The guidebook says, however, that Mei lived a simple life, despite the many famous visitors he received. One of the rooms on the north side serves as a gift shop, where visitors can pick up books, recordings and other souvenirs of Beijing opera.

Someone interested in Chinese modern history and culture could also visit the nearby museums dedicated to Song Qingling, aka, Madame Sun Yatsen, and to Guo Muruo, a main figure in Chinese modern
literature. These three sites around Houhai lake, are easy to visit in a day, easily reachable by bicycle rickshaw or by walking through the hutong.