2026 Taizhou Mei Lanfang Art Festival offers feast of traditional opera

The 2026 Taizhou Mei Lanfang Art Festival kicked off on the evening of Sept 29 in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, with the debut of the original Peking Opera performance "Mei Lanfang: The Story of the Embroidered Letter".

Taizhou is the ancestral home of this Peking Opera master. This year's festival coincides with the 30th anniversary of Taizhou's establishment as a prefecture-level city and the 70th anniversary of Mei's homecoming performance.

The original Peking Opera performance "Mei Lanfang: The Story of the Embroidered Letter" makes its debut on Sept 29 in Taizhou. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfabu]

Set at Beijing's Far East Hotel in 1950, the production draws on Mei's oral memoir, "Forty Years of Stage Life", to recreate scenes of Mei and his secretary, Xu Jichaun, sitting together and recording their artistic experiences.

This year's festival is being held from Sept 29 to Oct 28 and features eight main events, including an immersive opera market, an exhibition on Mei's return to Taizhou in 1956, and a calligraphy exhibition.