Mei Lan-fang (22 October 1894-8 August 1961), Peking opera star who was the outstanding figure in the Chinese theater during the first half of the twentieth century and who was the last link with the great old acting tradition of imperial China. Yangchow, Kiangsu, was the native place of Mei Lan-fang. His grandfather, Mei Ch'iaoling, […]

Wan Chia-pao (1910-), known as Ts'ao Yü, playwright whose best-known work was Lei-yü [thunderstorm]. After 1949 he devoted himself to cultural activities in the People's Republic of China. Wan joined the Chinese Communist party in 1957. Born in Ch'ienchiang, Hupeh, Ts'ao Yü came from a well-to-do family. He attended the Nankai Middle School in Tientsin, […]