23.梅兰芳蓄须

Lesson Twenty-Three

Beard Story of Mei Lanfang

1.Mr.Mei Lanfang is a world-famous artist in Peking opera.

2.He played female roles on the stage and always shaved his beard for the performance.

3.But he has grown a beard for several years in his life.

4.In 1937, when the Japanese occupied Shanghai, Mei Lanfang was forced to hide in the concession to avoid the entanglement of the Japanese.

5.At the end of 1938, he was invited to act in Hong Kong.

6.After the performance, Mei Lanfang stayed in Hong Kong, lived in seclusion and no longer performed on stages.

7.For a person who regards stage as his livelihood and art as his life, being unable to perform or create was tantamount to wasting his life.

8.In the middle of the night, Mei Lanfang closed the doors and windows and closed the special thick curtains, so that he could sing quietly and softly in his apartment, which was very satisfying for him.

9.An art master insists on pursuing art in this way.

10.Hong Kong fell in December 1941.

11.The Japanese commander in Hong Kong personally forced Mei Lanfang to act many times.

12.Mei Lanfang could endure the hardship of life and face the danger of war directly, but he could hardly resist the harassment from aggressors at anytime and anywhere.

13.There was no more excuses for refusing, and Mei Lanfang could only grew a beard to show his mind and express his protest against Japanese imperialism and his determination not to act for the aggressors.

14.Later, Mei Lanfang was overwhelmed and had to return to Shanghai.

15.His long absence from acting deprived him of his means, so Mei Lanfang was going to sell his house in Beijing for supporting his family.

16.When heard that Mei Lanfang wanted to sell the house, many playhouse owners came and said, “Mr.Mei, why should you sell the house? As long as you shave your beard and go on stage, you don’t have to worry about money anymore.”

17.Some even said that as long as Mr.Mei signed the performance contract, he could obtain twenty taels of gold in advance.

18.However, no matter how generous the conditions offered by the playhouse owner were, Mei Lanfang refused them all.

19.He would rather live by selling houses than perform on stage under the rule of Japanese invaders.

20.Once, the Japanese invading army celebrated the “success in the Asian battlefields of World War II” and asked him to perform on stage.

21.Mei Lanfang said categorically, “I don’t attend ordinary performances, let alone such celebrations.”

22.However, a solution must be taken if he wants to refuse the performance.

23.Mei Lanfang found a good friend who was a doctor, explained his dangerous situation, and asked his friend to try to make him “sick seriously”, so as to get rid of the Japanese.

24.His friend was moved by his patriotic spirit and determined to help him tide over the difficulties, so Mr.Mei was given typhoid vaccination, and people who takes this vaccination will have a high fever for days.

25.The Japanese didn’t believe Mei Lanfang was ill, so they sent a military doctor for examination.

26.The Japanese military doctor broke into Mei Lanfang’s home and saw him lying on the bed covered with quilts, with many medicines on the bedside table.

27.The doctor touched Mei Lanfang’s forehead with his hand.It was very hot, and there was no flaw, so he was sure that Mei Lanfang was seriously ill and could not perform on stage.

28.The Japanese invaders’ delusions were not realized, and Mei Lanfang almost lost his life.

29.When the news of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War came, Mei Lanfang immediately shaved his beard and happily announced to everyone that “It’s time for me to perform!”

30.Too many people came to see him perform, and many people stood and watched without seats.

31.As an artist, Mr.Mei Lanfang’s superb performance art is popular, and his national integrity is even more admirable!