Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum

Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum

The Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Introduction

The Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum is located at No. 9 Huguo Temple Street, Xicheng District, Beijing. It is a typical two-courtyard quadrangle compound covering an area of 716 square meters, and served as the residence of Mr. Mei Lanfang during the last 10 years of his life. This compound was originally part of the mansion of Prince Qing’s Yixun during the late Qing Dynasty. After liberation, it was renovated, and Mr. Mei moved in to live here. After Mr. Mei Lanfang’s passing, his family donated over 30,000 cultural relics and materials, including precious photos, scripts, and souvenirs, to the nation. On October 27, 1986, the memorial museum was completed and officially opened to the public. The museum is a quadrangle-style building, with a vermilion-painted gate bearing a plaque inscribed “Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum” in his own handwriting. In front of the large bluestone screen wall inside the gate, a bust of Mei Lanfang stands amidst green bamboo.

Transportation

Address: No. 9 Huguo Temple Street, Xicheng District, Beijing. Take bus 22, 38, 47, 409, 626, 810, or 826 and get off at Huguo Temple Station, then walk into Huguo Temple Street; or take bus 13, 42, 55, 107, 111, 118, 701, 823, or 850 and get off at Changqiao Station, then walk north into Huguo Temple Street.

Address: No. 9 Huguo Temple Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

Type: Celebrity Former Residence Museum

Recommended Visiting Time: 1–2 hours

Phone: 010-83223598

Official Website: http://www.meilanfang.com.cn/index.html

Opening Hours:

9:00–16:00, closed on Mondays. (The memorial museum is currently under renovation and not open to the public.)

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 10.0 RMB

10 RMB (students, people with disabilities, and seniors: half price at 5 RMB)

Mei Lanfang (1894.10.22–1961.8.8) was born on October 22, 1894, in Beijing, with ancestral roots in Taizhou, Jiangsu. He was a master of Chinese Peking Opera performance.

Mei Lanfang came from a family of opera performers. He began studying opera at age 8, learned the role of qingyi (a type of female role) from Wu Lingxian at age 9, and made his stage debut at age 10. He later studied huadan (a vivacious female role) under Qin Zhifen and Hu Ergeng. From April 1915 to September 1916, he premiered 11 new plays, including "The Tides of Officialdom," "Prison Lovers," and "The Maidens’ Vows." Before 1949, he traveled to Japan, the United States, the Soviet Union…  More details about Mei Lanfang++