A file photo of Mei Lanfang in the 1940s. [Photo: china.cn]

Winter is always a busy season for cinemas. This year, among many commercial blockbusters, an art house film called "Forever Enthralled" has attracted many moviegoers. The film tells the story of the Peking opera legend Mei Lanfang, who was born at the end of the 19th century.

In real life, Mei Lanfang was a brave patriot who refused to perform for the Japanese invaders during the war against Japanese invasion.

Onstage, he was an elegant woman. His beautiful face, slim figure, sweet voice and skillful portrayal of women convinced audiences that he was a goddess on the moon or a grieving widow who just lost her husband.

Decades later, people are still amazed by Mei Lanfang's artistic achievements as a male Dan actor. "Forever Enthralled" has won great accolades from moviegoers.

"When Mei Lanfang is onstage, he is even prettier than real women. His performance is really touching."

"He looks so sweet and gentle when he is acting. But he is not a sissy. He is a man full of machismo."

Mei Lanfang is regarded as one of the best actors in the history of Peking opera. In the 1920s, he and three other male performers were honored as the four great Dan of the golden age of Peking opera.

Dan is the title for female roles in Peking opera, which dates back 1,000 years to the Song dynasty. During that time there were already male actors playing female roles in some local operas. But the advent of male Dan actors began in earnest 200 years ago during the Qing dynasty.

Liu Wenfeng, a Peking opera expert at the Chinese Academy of Art, explains why.

"The Qing dynasty was a regime set up by the Manchu ethnic group. To ensure their control of the Han nationality, the government forbade the Han people to watch Peking opera at that time. Meanwhile, women were also not allowed to perform or watch the shows. So, male actors had to play female roles as well."

Today, male Dan actors are selected based on their physical appearances and voices. After the actors put on makeup and costumes, they must resemble women as closely as possible. Their facial expressions must be vivid and lively as well.
Liu Wenfeng tells a story about Mei Lanfang.

"When Mei Lanfang was a child, he didn't have many advantages with his looks, because his eyes were not bright or expressive. To practice expressions with his eyes, he usually lit a candle in a dark room and carefully watched the smoke spiraling upwards. By and by, his eyes became very bright, and he could express all kinds of feelings vividly with them."

Imitating the gestures of women is also important for male Dan actors. They sometimes find it difficult to move gracefully and perform elegantly onstage.

It is said that Mei Lanfang could convince his audience that he was a woman on stage with only three gestures of his hands.

Yin Jun is a male Dan actor in his 20s. He tells us about his techniques for imitating female movements and gestures.
(Sound bite 3 Yin)

"In daily life, I always observe women beside me, including their actions and facial expressions. I also watched videos of the old male Dan masters to see how they played female roles. Then I think about their moves and practice in front of a mirror. It is not simply imitation. All the gestures have to be coordinated and be my own."

The four great dan actors represented the golden age of Peking opera. After they gained wide popularity at home, some of them went abroad to perform. For example, Mei Lanfang performed in a show on Broadway in New York in 1930. The play received favorable reviews from both American critics and audiences.

Along with China's social development, women were allowed to perform onstage and by and large have replaced male dan actors today. After the founding of People's Republic of China in 1949, the government institutionalized Peking Opera training. Many male Dan ended their careers and started teaching in schools. In 1960s and 1970s, there were hardly any male Dan actors left in the country.

But after the 1980s, male Dan actors returned to the stage, as Peking Opera fans realized how important they are to the traditional art form.

Liu Wenfeng explains.

"First of all, learning Peking Opera requires painstaking efforts. Male actors are stronger than actresses, so they can endure more. Second, while actresses can play female roles more naturally, they pay less attention to analyzing the roles' moves and moods than male Dan actors do. Last, men have a wider voice range, so after training, their singing is more mellow."

There are now about 10 professional male Dan actors in China, and half of them are middle-aged and senior performers.
Mei Baojiu is Mei Langfang's youngest son. The 74- year-old Peking opera master has followed in his father's footsteps and become an outstanding male Dan actor.

"I retain the performing style of my father completely. I learned my singing, dancing and manner of dressing all from him. So I have to act according to these rules and stay true to the essence of his acting."

Mei Baojiu recently recorded a new album, a collection of two of his classical performances. The album has been warmly received by the public.

In the meantime, some younger male Dan actors have taken up the art form. Yang Lei is one of the current four or five young professional male Dan actors.

"Sometimes when I want to try a new move, I just think of it day and night. Even at midnight, if an idea flashes through my mind, I get up immediately and practice it again and again."

At the same time, some Peking Opera amateurs are trying to revive the art form in their own way. Li Yugang is a good example. Combining pop singing and traditional Peking opera singing, his songs have become quite popular.

But some critics and professional actors say Li's performances cannot be regarded as a fine art.

Liu Wenfeng disagrees. He says any way of promoting Peking Opera should be accepted and commended.

"The development of an art form needs to keep up with the trend of times. Li Yugang's singing is a kind of exploration of Peking Opera's future."

Nowadays Peking opera is no longer a mainstream art form. So to revive the male Dan culture, younger performers must demonstrate the success and skill of older actors and create more new shows according to their own talents.

Only in this way can male Dan actors keep showing their special charm onstage in the future.