Meng Xiaodong

Meng Xiaodong
Born(1908-12-09)December 9, 1908
Shanghai County, China
DiedMay 26, 1977(1977-05-26) (aged 68)
Taipei, Taiwan
Resting placeShulin District, New Taipei City, Taiwan
OccupationPeking opera performer
Known forOld sheng roles
StyleYu (Yu Shuyan) school
Spouses
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(m. 1927; div. 1933)​
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(m. 1950; div. 1951)​
Chinese name
Chinese孟小冬
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinMèng Xiǎodōng
In this Chinese name, the family name is Meng.

Meng Xiaodong (Chinese: 孟小冬; pinyin: Mèng xiǎodōng) (December 9, 1908 – May 26, 1977) was a Chinese actress of Peking opera who specialized in old sheng (male) roles.

Life

Meng Xiaodong and Mei Lanfang

In August 1925, Meng met Mei Lanfang and they co-starred in the film Yóu lóng xī fèng (游龙戏凤). In 1927 Meng married Mei Lanfang as his concubine. At that time, Mei Lanfang already had two wives, official wife Wang Minghua and concubine Fu Zhifang.[1]

In August 1930, Mei's aunt died. The Mei family did not recognize the marriage between Meng and Mei and refused to allow Meng to wear mourning clothes as their daughter-in-law. The two then broke up but reunited soon after. However, in mid-1931, they officially broke up. Under the mediation of Meng's lawyer, Zheng Yuxiu, and Du Yuesheng, Mei paid Meng 40,000 yuan in alimony.[2] Two years later, in 1933, Meng announced that she had ended relations with Mei and his family on Ta Kung Pao.[1]

In the spring of 1949, Meng moved to British Hong Kong with Du Yuesheng and his family. 1950, when Du already had several wives, she married him in Hong Kong to become his concubine. Following the marriage, she completely withdrew from the stage.

In August 1952, Du died. After the death of her husband, Meng remained in Hong Kong, and Du's fourth wife, Yao Yulan, and his children moved to Taiwan. However, when the Cultural Revolution broke out in 1966, she immigrated to Taiwan the following year. She lived in Taipei, with Yao Yulan and her second daughter Du Meixia, until her death.[3]

On May 26, 1977, Meng died in Taipei at the age of 68.[3] She was interred in Shulin District, New Taipei City.[1] Du Meixia, who passed away in 2018, was buried at the same tombstone. Du Meixia and Meng were like mother and daughter, and Du Meixia served as chairman of Meng Xiaodong National Theatre Scholarship Foundation. The Foundation has been granting scholarships to promising Peking opera talents in Taiwan since 1978.[4]

Movies

TV series

  • Meng Xiaodong in 1920
    Meng Xiaodong in 1920
  • Meng Xiaodong acting with her parents
    Meng Xiaodong acting with her parents
  • Meng Xiaodong and Du Yuesheng marriage photo
    Meng Xiaodong and Du Yuesheng marriage photo
  • Meng Xiadong in Manchu dress
    Meng Xiadong in Manchu dress

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meng Xiaodong.
  1. ^ a b c 蒋晗玉 (2004-11-23). "物风流：梅兰芳--与孟小冬情投意合却劳燕分飞" (in Simplified Chinese). 新浪网. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
  2. ^ 李伶伶 (2008-12-12). "梅兰芳与孟小冬为何分手？ 戴孝风波是原因之一". 编辑：张中江. 中国新闻网，来源：大众日报，李伶伶著江苏文艺出版社《梅兰芳和孟小冬》. Archived from the original on 2011-02-03. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  3. ^ a b 杜维善. "杜月笙之子口述：冬皇孟小冬为何终老台北" (in Simplified Chinese). 香港中文大学中国研究服务中心网站，来源：转自《澎湃》. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-26. 后来我母亲和陆京士都跟她讲，没有关系的，不要有顾虑，来台湾好了。这样，她最后才去了台湾[……]1966年，"文革"运动对香港的影响很大[……]我母亲也多次邀请孟小冬去台湾。第二年，就是1967年，孟小冬干脆就搬去了台湾[……]孟小冬来到台湾后，当时陆京士等人帮她在台北以她的名义买了房子，但她没有住，后来在东门町租了一个房子，房子很小，她一直住在那里直到去世[……]到了台湾，她虽然不和我母亲、家人住在一起，但我母亲跟二姐天天去看她，聊天、打牌，生活就安定得多了。
  4. ^ "上海大亨杜月笙之女杜美霞在台病逝 享壽88歲！將葬孟小冬墓旁" (in Traditional Chinese). 苹果新闻网. 2019-01-08. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-05-26.