When talking about Mei Lanfang's performing arts or Mei Lanfang's performing arts system,the core is Mei Lanfang.Then as for who is Mei Lanfang and how to understand"Mei Lanfang",different people have different understandings and judgments,which are related to the evaluation of Mei Lanfang and the understanding of Chinese opera.In the author's opinion,the term"Mei Lanfang"has at least three meanings,i.e.Mei Lanfang as an individual(singular),Mei Lanfang as a collective(plural),and Mei Lanfang as a symbol.Mei Lanfang as an individual is what we usually call Mei Lanfang in the original sense,or Mei Lanfang in the narrow sense,which is Mei Lanfang's own self;and Mei Lanfang as a collective is Mei Lanfang in the plural,which is greater than the"Mei Party".Therefore,Mei Lanfang is both individual and non-individual,and the individual and the collective are the unity of opposites.Mei Lanfang as a symbol means the representativeness and is the outstanding representative of the Chinese Opera Art.
Mei LanfangMei Lanfang as a collective(plural)performance systemXu LanyuanQi Rushan