Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 22 Issue 6

American audiences’ praise of Mei Lanfang’s art mainly stemmed from their curiosity about Oriental exotism, not necessarily from their real sense of recognition and love. There was a comment published in the Herald Tribune in 1930: “The noteworthy thing was the extraordinary grace and finesse which Mr. Mei brought to his impersonations--an art as perfect as it is exotic, and quite eloquent enough to charm and held an American audience throughout the evening, even though they could but guess, most of the time, just what was being said and indicated.” 6 They were not very interested in the musical instruments and falsetto of Chinese drama. They were just amazed by Mei Lanfang. “When you see him on the stage, you forget all this, and find yourself in some timeless region as lovely and harmonious as an old fairy story...You forget everything but the picture he is making, ” 7 Mei Lanfang’s trip to the United States was in the early stage of the Great Depression. Banks collapsed, businesses went bankrupt, people were unemployed, and the economy declined. When Americans felt sad in real life, they turned to the stage. As a famous Asian actor, Mei Lanfang comforted American audiences with his exquisite acting skills. Americans vented their fears in the theatre and temporarily entered the fantastic exotic Eastern space to escape the difficult and hopeless reality. As a Chinese national essence, Peking Opera has become a kind of “good medicine” to cure the anxiety of the American people. Mei’s American tour “could not have come at a more psychologically apt moment. The public mood prepared to be receptive to a dramatic art which ignored realism and whose calm values were those of a civilization with time behind it.” wrote by American journalist-author Arthur Ruhl. 8 II. A ncient C hinoiserie C ommodity A comment by Justin B. Atkinson, a journalist for the New York Times , was posted on program leaflets and advertisements: “For the drama of Peking, whence Mr. Mei and his actors come, has almost no point of similarity to the drama with which we are familiar; and the barrier of language is as nothing by comparison with the barrier of a completely exotic art…But it is as beautiful as an old Chinese vase or tapestry.” 9 6 Ruhl, Arthur .1930. “A Description of Mei’s Performance.” Herald Tribune . 7 Ibid. 8 Scott, A. C. 1971. Mei Lan-fang: The Life and Times of a Peking Actor . Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press: 108. 9 Atkinson, Justin B. 1930. “China’s Idol Actor Reveals His Art.” New York Times . 17 February no.2: 18. Robert Littell of New York World made s imilar comments: “[It was] as strong and delicate in every eloquent gesture as an old Chinese painting, very beautiful to look at for the costumes and poses alone, but also full of an immensely subtle dignity and repose.” 10 As early as the 16th century, European monarchs and upper-class nobility were bewildered by Chinese artifacts and Chinese furniture with obvious Oriental decorative patterns, which were commonly known as Chinoiserie. These exquisite Chinese objects were not only decorations, but also indicators of power, knowledge, and status. This European social custom reached its peak in the 17th century, then spread from the ancient center of Western civilization to the New World through Mayflowe r. As John Tchen, an Asian- American historian, observes, “a ritual surrounding the appreciation of chinoiserie and the constellation of meanings associated with it creates an important sense of distinction. ” Mei Lanfang’s performance evoked the American audiences’ impression of ancient China. These seemingly ordinary metaphors, which connected Mei Lanfang’s performance with ancient Chinese artifacts, actually materialized the performing art of Peking Opera, reflecting the hidden ideology of Americans concerning Chinese culture. 11 At that time, watching Mei Lanfang’s performance became a necessity for the upper class. Scalpers were able to sell a ticket which is $3.85 at the box-office for a cost as much as $18.00. By the beginning of the 20th century, ordinary people had joined the ranks of collecting and enjoying Chinese goods. Americans took the image of ancient China as a kind of sentiment into their romantic and pure fantasy. What audiences and critics liked was the antique charm of the East. They treated the delicate and complex traditional Chinese art as objects to play. 12 An American writer drew on financial figures to explain the popularity of Mei: “A few years ago, a group of American bankers paid him $4,000 for a half-hour of acting and singing. It is true that this especially large price was paid for that imponderable Oriental asset known as ‘face’, because a group of Japanese bankers had tried shortly before to impress their Chinese guests by paying Mei Lan-Fang $1,000 for an evening’s entertainment.” 13 III. U ndeveloped I nferior A rt What can be seen is that watching Mei’s performance, as consumer behavior, became an indicator of rights, identity, and status for the U.S. upper class. The “image of China” in the West had undergone a subversive change around 1750. When the 10 Moy, Ernest K.1931. Mei Lan-fang: what New York thinks of him , USA: [s.n]: 7. 11 Tchen, John. 1999. New York before Chinatown: Orientalism and the Shaping of American Culture, 1776–1882. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. 12 Chang, Peng C. 1935. Preface to Mei Lan-Fang in America: Reviews and Criticisms .Tientsin:c. 13 Zucker, A. E. 1924. “China’s ‘Leading Lady.’ ” Journal of the American Asiatic Association 24 (August): 600. Volume XXII Issue VI Version I 24 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 © 2022 Global Journals C Mei Lan-Fang’s American Tour and China’s Images in the U.S.