Mei Lanfang and Chaplin. [Photo/cultural-china.com]

Mei Lanfang had met the comedian master Chaplin twice. The first time was during Mei's visit to America when the two masters of art met in Hollywood and exchanged freely their views on drama. Mei Lanfang told Chaplin that he had learned from his silent films how to express a character's innermost feelings via acts and expressions, while Chaplin consulted Mei Lanfang on the performing art of clown in Beijing Opera. The second time was in Shanghai where Mei Lanfang accompanied Chaplin during his one-day stay. And this day, short as it was, left an indelible impression in Chaplin's memory.