One of the most dazzling of the performing arts, Beijing Opera features magnificent costumes inspired by the court attire of the Ming dynasty. The genre’s most legendary performer, Mei Lanfang, headed a spectacularly successful U.S. tour in 1930 sponsored by China Institute in America. The exhibition’s historic costumes and associated artifacts will spotlight the genre’s visual splendor and deep cultural meanings as well as trace the impact Mei’s tour had on Americans’ perceptions of China.
Image: Photograph from the opera Farewell, My Concubine, performed in the U.S. ©Chinese National Academy of Arts
