Known as the most outstanding Peking Opera performer of all time, Mei Lanfang (1894 -1961) is being remembered this week with presentations in New York City commemorating his birth 120 years ago in Beijing. In Mei's 50-year opera career, he portrayed female characters which won him international acclaim. His smooth, poised style is known as the Mei School. He was one of the Four Great Dan (female role) opera performers in the golden era of Peking Opera. In the Peking Opera, the female parts, like Shakespearean plays in England, were originally performed by men. Mei was the first actor ever to present Peking Opera in foreign countries On Tuesday morning, opera singers Dou Xiaoxuan, Wang Mengting, Wang Bowen, and Li Jian brought their moves to the streets of New York, even teaching tourists in Times Square a move or two. Ian Whiton was visiting Times Square with his mother Sandy from Seattle. Whiton performed western style opera with the youth chorus of the Seattle Opera in 2011 and he was excited to see the Peking Opera performers.