Meng Xiaodong () (December 9, 1908 – May 26, 1977) was a Chinese actress of

Peking opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

who specialized in old '' sheng'' (male) roles.

Life

In August 1925, Meng met

Mei Lanfang Mei Lan (22 October 1894 – 8 August 1961), better known by his stage name Mei Lanfang, was a notable Peking opera artist in modern Chinese theater. Mei was known as "Queen of Peking Opera". Mei was exclusively known for his female lead ...

and they co-starred in the film ''Yóu lóng xī fèng'' (游龙戏凤). In 1927 Meng married Mei Lanfang as his

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

. At that time, Mei Lanfang already had two wives, official wife Wang Minghua and concubine Fu Zhifang. In August 1930, Mei's aunt died. The Mei family did not recognize the marriage between Meng and Mei and refused to allow Meng to wear mourning clothes as their daughter-in-law. The two then broke up but reunited soon after. However, in mid-1931, they officially broke up. Under the mediation of Meng's lawyer, Zheng Yuxiu, and

Du Yuesheng Du Yuesheng (22 August 188816 August 1951), also known by Dou Yu-Seng or Tu Yueh-sheng or Du Yueh-sheng, nicknamed "Big-Eared Du",Lintner, Bertil. ''Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948''. Silkworm Books. 1999. p.309 was a Chinese m ...

, Mei paid Meng 40,000 yuan in alimony. Two years later, in 1933, Meng announced that she had ended relations with Mei and his family on ''

Ta Kung Pao ''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'') is the oldest active Chinese language newspaper in China. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is state-owned, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government after the Chinese Civil War ...

''. In the spring of 1949, Meng moved to British Hong Kong with Du Yuesheng and his family. 1950, when Du already had several wives, she married him in Hong Kong to become his concubine. Following the marriage, she completely withdrew from the stage. In August 1952, Du died. After the death of her husband, Meng remained in Hong Kong, and Du's fourth wife, Yao Yulan, and his children moved to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. However, when the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

broke out in 1966, she immigrated to Taiwan the following year. She lived in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

, with Yao Yulan and her second daughter Du Meixia, until her death. On May 26, 1977, Meng died in Taipei at the age of 68. She was interred in

Shulin District Shulin District () is an inner city district in southwestern New Taipei City, Taiwan. History On August 1, 1946, seventeen urban villages () were divided from Yingge Township and made into Shulin Township (). Shulin was upgraded to a cou ...

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, b ...

. Du Meixia, who passed away in 2018, was buried at the same tombstone. Du Meixia and Meng were like mother and daughter, and Du Meixia served as chairman of Meng Xiaodong National Theatre Scholarship Foundation. The Foundation has been granting scholarships to promising Peking opera talents in Taiwan since 1978.

In popular culture

Movies

* '' Lord of East China Sea'' (1993) by

Cecilia Yip Cecilia Yip Tung (; born 8 March 1963) is a Hong Kong actress whose work is known throughout Asia, especially in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Career She began her acting career in 1982 with ''Nomad'' for which she was nominated for t ...

* '' Lord of East China Sea II'' (1993) by Cecilia Yip * ''

Forever Enthralled ''Forever Enthralled'' () is a Chinese biographical film directed by Chen Kaige; the film marks Chen's eleventh feature film as a director. ''Forever Enthralled'' follows the life of Mei Lanfang, one of China's premiere opera performers. It stars L ...

'' (2008) by

Zhang Ziyi Zhang Ziyi (; ; born 9 February 1979) is a Chinese actress and model. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of China. Her first major role was in '' The Road Home'' (1999). She later gained international recognition for her role in ...

* ''

The Last Tycoon ''The Last Tycoon'' is an unfinished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In 1941, it was published posthumously under this title, as prepared by his friend Edmund Wilson, a critic and writer. According to ''Publishers Weekly,'' the novel is "generally ...

'' (2012) by Feng Wenjuan (as child) and

Yuan Quan Yuan Quan (, born 16 October 1977), also known as Yolanda Yuan, is a Chinese actress and singer. She graduated from the Central Academy of Drama where she majored in drama. Career Yuan starred in her first film '' Rhapsody of Spring'' (1998), ...

(as adult)

TV series

* '' Shanghai, Shanghai'' (2010) by Yang Zimo * '' Lord Of Shanghai'' (2015) by

Myolie Wu Myolie Wu Hang-yee (born 6 November 1979) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She is previously managed by Hong Kong TVB television station and Neway Star. In 2011, she won Best Actress for her role in '' Curse of the Royal Harem'', Most Favou ...

Gallery

References

{{Authority control 1908 births 1977 deaths Chinese Peking opera actresses 20th-century Chinese actresses Actresses from Shanghai Taiwanese people from Shanghai Male impersonators in Peking opera 20th-century Chinese women singers