NEW YORK CITY – One of the most extraordinary talents to grace the stage will be celebrated in an upcoming exhibition at China Institute Gallery this spring. The groundbreaking artistry of Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), the 20th century’s greatest performer of Peking opera, best known for playing female roles, will be showcased in a new exhibition. The Dancing Goddess: Mei Lanfang will be on view from March 12 through July 19, 2026. A fully illustrated catalogue with guest essays by renowned experts on Peking opera and U.S.-China relations will accompany the exhibition.
Mei Lanfang’s 1930 North American tour, organized by the newly established China Institute of America, launched Peking opera on the world stage and made a significant impact on modern theater. With his completely original fusion of song, dance, and dramatic acting, Mei captivated American audiences and inspired artists from Broadway to Berlin.
“In the long history of illustrious Broadway shows, Mei Lanfang's American debut was an unexpected smash hit that created unprecedented, wide-ranging diplomatic benefits,” notes Charles A. Riley II, Ph.D., Director, China Institute Gallery. “Mei Lanfang’s 1930 visit was a pivotal moment that enlarged American cultural imagination and ultimately inspired the creation of China Institute Gallery. Mei established a model for international artistic exchange that continues to shape cross-cultural dialogue today. The national spotlight on Mei put China Institute on the map as a private non-profit committed to fostering the world’s understanding of China.”
The Dancing Goddess: Mei Lanfang in America revisits a milestone of cultural exchange and features a spectacular array of Mei’s innovative stage costumes from his own collection, which were designed to allow dance movements that revitalized Peking opera, along with rare photographs, performance videos, original production props, and artwork. Most of the objects in the exhibition are on public view in the U.S. for the first time, on loan from the Chinese National Academy of Arts in Beijing, the world’s foremost archive of Mei Lanfang memorabilia.
Mei impacted theater and dance history on a global scale. He created strong feminine roles that offered a controversial re-imagining of a centuries-old art form. From its origins, Peking opera was dominated by male characters, and women were banned from the stage until 1912. One of the other key revelations is a new appreciation of the unsung contribution that the 1930 tour made to Western dance, theater and film, including the modernism of Bertolt Brecht, Ruth St. Denis, Thornton Wilder, Konstantin Stanislavski, and others.
The success of Mei’s tour laid the foundation for China Institute’s commitment to the arts, which blossomed into a wide range of initiatives including exhibitions, an art collectors’ club and committee, and finally the creation of the China Institute Gallery in 1966. The 2026 exhibition marks the 100th anniversary of China Institute of America and the 60th anniversary of China Institute Gallery. Mei was the first artist from China to be invited to the U.S. under the auspices of China Institute, which made a major contribution to U.S.-China relations with the tour.
The Dancing Goddess: Mei Lanfang traces the performer’s U.S. tour through immersive multimedia displays, spectacular costumes, props used in the performances and rarely seen archival materials. Exhibition highlights include the earliest surviving playbill from Mei’s first performances at the age of 14 (his grandfather was a famous opera star) as well as playbills and photographs from the U.S. tour; costumes from the 1920s and 1930s with elaborate embroidery and sequins; images of Mei’s New York performance by Broadway photographer Florence Vandamm; and rare footage of Mei performing scenes from his signature roles, including Farewell My Concubine.
The exhibition is organized by China Institute Gallery in collaboration with the Chinese National Academy of Arts. The curator of the exhibition is Catherine Yeh, professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature at Boston University and one of the world’s leading experts on Mei Lanfang’s life and legacy. The lenders include the Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum, Harvard University, and the New York Public Library.
For further information please visit the China Institute of America website.
Tagged 21/01/26.