Lanfang Mei

Mei Lan (22 October 1894 – 8 August 1961), better known by his stage name Mei Lanfang, was a notable Chinese Peking opera artist in modern Chinese theater. Mei was known as the "Queen of Peking Opera". Mei was exclusively known for his female lead roles (dan) and particularly his "verdant-robed girls" (qingyi), young or middle-aged women of grace and refinement. He was considered one of the "Four Great Dan", along with Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu, and Xun Huisheng.

Birth and Death Data: Born Beijing (capital city of China), Died 1961 (Beijing (capital city of China) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1935

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

Notes: A Victor blue history card describes the artist as a "female impersonator." He was a renowned Peking opera star.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role	Audio
Victor	BS-87091	10-in.	1/31/1935	Kalamatianos (Greek dance)	Frances Elliott Clark	Instrumental and vocal groups	vocalist
Victor	JCE-317	10-in.	10/30/1929	Hai sze	Lanfang Mei	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	vocalist

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Mei, Lanfang," accessed January 20, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103018.

Mei, Lanfang. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 20, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103018.

"Mei, Lanfang." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 20 January 2026.

Wikipedia: 梅兰芳

Discogs: Lanfang Mei

Grove: Lanfang Mei

IMDb: Lanfang Mei

Britannica: Lanfang Mei

LCNAR: Mei, Lanfang, 1894-1961 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81009469

Wikidata: 梅兰芳 - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q526989

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/4938673

MusicBrainz: 梅兰芳 - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b862b6ab-c1b0-40f7-98f0-1be257d51c64

Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/66961 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/66961

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