Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is concerned with the myth creation of the interaction of Mei Lanfang and Stanislavsky and its influence on the Chinese approach to traditional Chinese theatre. It investigates the historical facts and circumstances that underlie this historic intercultural moment on the twentieth-century international stage. The book deals with Stanislavsky’s and Meyerhold’s invocation, appropriation, and refraction of Alexander Pushkin and with Meyerhold’s Pushkinization of Mei Lanfang’s art. It deals with Sergei Eisenstein’s consecration of Chinese theatrical and cultural traditions. The book focuses on Walter Benjamin’s performative quotation and use of Chinese cultural traditions. It examines Benjamin’s essay on his meeting with the American Hollywood actress, Anna May Wong.