A star that still shines

For example, the introductory material has information on how Mei Lanfang and his peers such as Qi Rushan, a playwright, prepared for his first visit to the US in 1930. This includes English texts and drawings to explain the singing, movements and dress of Peking Opera. The programs include a special show in which Mei performed different dances from various operatic pieces, a suggestion he took from US dramatists and Chinese intellectuals.

Excerpts from Mei's diaries of his US tour are also on display in which the master saw his work there as "an opportunity to serve my country... and to make them (people in the US) know about the depth and scope of our culture, as well as the greatness of our art".