Tan Hsin-p'ei (1847-20 March 1917), leading interpreter of the lao-sheng roles in the Peking drama. A native of Hupeh, T'an Hsin-p'ei was the only son of T'an Chih-tao (d. 1877), an actor of the lao-tan [elderly woman] roles who went to Peking with his family in the 1850's. T'an Hsin-p'ei received his early training in […]

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, […]

Ch'eng T'ien-fang (22 February 1899-) served the National Government in such capacities as ambassador to Germany (1936-38), delegate to the sessions of UNESCO (after 1945), and minister of education (1950-54). He was dean (1934-35) and vice chancellor (1943-44) of the Central Political Institute and chancellor of National Chekiang (1932-33) and National Szechwan (1938-42) universities. A […]