2024 marks the 130th anniversary of Mei Lanfang's birth. The "Mei Yi Jin Hui - Commemorating the 130th Anniversary of Mei Lanfang's Birth Exhibition" jointly organized by the China Academy of Arts, the National Peking Opera Theater, the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, the Mei Lanfang Memorial Hall, and the Taizhou Municipal People's Government in Jiangsu Province opened on July 23 at the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum and officially opened to the public on July 24. At the opening ceremony, Wei Haimin, the inheritor of the Meipai art of Peking Opera and the chief artist of Taiwan's traditional opera performance group Guoguang Opera Troupe, Guo Xiao, a national first-class actor of the National Peking Opera Theatre, and Hu Wenge, a national first-class actor of the Beijing Peking Opera Theatre, respectively performed excerpts from "Drunken Concubine", "Fragrant Flowers of the Heavenly Maiden", and "Mu Guiying Takes Command". The Beijing Peking Opera Troupe accompanied and participated in the performance, while the Affiliated Middle School of Chinese Opera Academy and the Taizhou Mei Lanfang Peking Opera Troupe participated in the performance. On July 23rd, Hu Wenge (left), Wei Haimin (center), and Guo Xiao (right), inheritors of the Meipai tradition, performed a classic Meipai verse at the opening ceremony. On behalf of the Mei family, Mei Wei, the great grandson of Mei Lanfang, expressed gratitude to all the experts and colleagues who have worked hard for this exhibition. He said that Mr. Mei has been away from us for more than 60 years, but his artistic spirit still lingers in the world. The Mei family motto of "virtue before art, country above family" proposed by him has become a model for future generations to learn from. Wei Haimin, the representative of the inheritor of the Mei School of Peking Opera, stated in his speech that Mei School disciples should not only inherit the classic plays of the Mei School, but also inherit the profound cultural heritage and innovative spirit of Mr. Mei Lanfang. We commemorate the birthday of Mr. Mei Lanfang today to explore how to combine Meipai art with modern aesthetics, and bring traditional drama to life in a vivid way in the present. Liu Xia, representative of Mei Lanfang's hometown, member of the Standing Committee of the Taizhou Municipal Party Committee, Minister of Propaganda, and Deputy Mayor, pointed out in her speech that Mr. Mei Lanfang is closely related to Taizhou. In October of this year, Taizhou will hold a series of activities to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Mei Lanfang's birth, and strive to promote the continuous inheritance of Mei Lanfang culture and its enduring beauty. Exhibition site. Mei Lanfang, photographed by Shi Chunyang, is an outstanding representative of Chinese opera and culture in the 20th century. He is an artistic giant who successfully showcases the national image and Chinese spirit in the world. He devoted his entire life to the pursuit of beauty, interpreting the artistic path and personal realm achieved by an artist between external form and internal character. With his profound traditional cultural heritage and outstanding artistic achievements, he made outstanding contributions to the inheritance and development of Chinese opera art. Exhibition site. Photo by Shi Chunyang: This exhibition carefully selected over 200 exhibits closely related to Mei Lanfang's artistic career, including manuscripts, calligraphy and painting, ancient books, costumes, plays, musical instruments, records, etc. Nearly 120 of them were unveiled to the public for the first time, aiming to comprehensively showcase the glorious history of Mei Lanfang's artistic career. The exhibition is divided into six sections: "Preface," "Grandmaster," "Cultural Ambassador," "Emotional Responsibility," "New Mission," and "Unforgettable Memories." It comprehensively showcases Mei Lanfang's artistic life, sorts out his outstanding contributions, and demonstrates the spiritual character he adheres to. This exhibition is one of the series of commemorative activities for the 130th anniversary of Mei Lanfang's birth. The series of activities also includes symposiums, performances of classic Mei style plays, performances by famous Mei style artists, international academic seminars, international exhibitions, cultural lectures, and more. It is reported that the exhibition will last until October 23rd. (New Society)