The Reform and Opening up witnessed by a Chinese American artist

With the reputations of “ambassador of the Western and Chinese cultural exchange”, “the first overseas achieving Magnolia Opera Award”, “Oscar lifelong judge”, Lisa Lu, a 91-year-old Chinese-American performing artist is impressive for her elegant temperament and modest attitude. The elderly who has lived on the other side of the Pacific for 70 years witnessed the opening up of Chinese culture.

Lisa Lu, Chinese American performing artist accepts an interview with Eastday.[Photo/ Eastday]

“Try best” in over 60 years’ artistic life

Deeply influenced by her adoptive father Mei Lanfang, famous Chinese Peking Opera singer, Lisa Lu has been taking “try best” as her motto. In her 60 years’ performing career, she has won the Taiwan Golden Horse Award three times and acted as actress, director, producer, etc. This time she returned to Shanghai, her hometown to perform again in A Dream Like a Dream, only to “do better”.

91-year-old Lisa Lu acts as the old Gu Xianglan in A Dream Like a Dream, an eight- hour drama by Stan Lai.[Photo provided by Lisa Lu]

She told us humbly that she participated in the drama in Taiwan for the first time in 2005. "Since I feel that I have not done my best for the first time, I feel very happy to have the opportunity to make progress this time."