The famous Peking Opera art master Mr. Mei Lanfang of our country, while being very dedicated to the Peking Opera art, also had good eating habits. Mr. Mei Lanfang's ancestral home was in Beijing, and he lived and performed in the Beijing-Tianjin area for a long time. Therefore, his early daily diet mainly consisted of Northern-style home dishes. For example, "stir-fried meatballs," "fried bean flour strips" (small strips made from mung bean flour and fried), "lamb fat stir-fried with fermented tofu," "preserved meat," and "Mr. Mei Lanfang's favorite dish - shrimp oil braised tofu." There was also a dish called "oven-roasted pork meatball stewed with Chinese cabbage," which he ate quite often. "Oven-roasted pork" refers to "roast pork," which is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, also known as "crispy skin pork." The minced meat from "oven-roasted pork" is made into meatballs, which is a very tasty home dish. Due to Beijing's proximity to livestock areas, the locals were accustomed to eating meat and flour-based foods. In his early years living in Beijing, Mr. Mei Lanfang also consumed these simple home-cooked meals.
Nowadays, it is evident that the crispy skin pork loved by the Peking Opera master is rich in collagen, which not only helped him resist aging and maintain good health but also played a crucial role in maintaining his vocal cords, allowing him to consistently stay in excellent condition and reach the pinnacle of his art. For this master, collagen played an indispensable role on his journey to the peak of artistic achievement.
In 1937, when the Anti-Japanese War broke out, Mr. Mei Lanfang moved to Shanghai. In Shanghai, he hired a chef skilled in cooking Huaiyang cuisine. Huaiyang cuisine has a wide variety of dishes, meticulous preparation, light flavors, and is especially renowned for its original taste and freshness. Mr. Mei Lanfang appreciated this greatly. He believed that such methods could preserve the natural color and nutrients of the ingredients.
Additionally, Mr. Mei Lanfang had a habit: whether dining at home or entertaining guests, he did not like chefs preparing cold dishes. Instead, he always placed a few plates of pickled vegetables on the table, such as assorted pickles, eight-treasure pickles, pickled bamboo shoots, and pickled cucumbers, to adjust the taste.
There is a saying: "Sing hungry, play full." Through long-term stage practice, Mr. Mei Lanfang deeply understood that actors must not eat too much before performances. Otherwise, they would lack sufficient breath control while singing and feel weak during movements. Severe cases could even lead to gastroenteritis. Thus, whenever he had a performance in the evening, his dinner was always very simple. He would only eat heartily after finishing the performance, resting at home for a while, thereby forming the habit of having late-night meals.
In terms of dietary principles, he adhered to several rules: first, he firmly abstained from alcohol to avoid damaging his voice; second, he avoided sour and spicy foods to prevent throat irritation; third, he tried to minimize overly greasy foods, such as animal offal and braised pork, because these foods easily caused phlegm production, so it was better to consume them sparingly. Moreover, one should not eat cold drinks before or after performances, especially right after a performance when the vocal cords have undergone intense vibration, commonly referred to as a "hot throat." Eating cold drinks at this time can easily cause hoarseness. To protect his voice and increase nutrition, he believed that one should regularly consume fresh milk, eggs, fruits, and vegetables, as these are beneficial foods for Peking Opera actors.
Source: Unveiling the Collagen Protein Secrets of Peking Opera Master Mei Lanfang's Dietary Health Preservation Method