20th Century Chinese Drama Classics

Author: Zhang Jian, Editor-in-Chief / Beijing Normal University Chinese Department, Compiled
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Chinese theater originated from student theatrical activities in Shanghai in the late 19th century. In the 1920s, Xiong Fuxi was a typical enlightenment theater figure. Even during his time studying in the U.S., Xiong Fuxi had established the grand aspiration of "building a Chinese national theater." After returning to China to lead the "Theater Department," he upheld the basic principle of focusing on learning and researching modern theatrical arts while also placing great emphasis on the importance of theater workers drawing inspiration and lessons from the excellent traditions of classical Chinese theater. As a result, his theatrical creations during this period exhibited a tendency toward the mutual fusion of Eastern and Western influences. Combined with the author's own enlightenment ideological stance and his detached, ambiguous attitude toward social reality due to ideological vacillation, this gave rise to an artistic style on the 1920s theater scene characterized by social relevance, allegory, popular appeal, and entertainment. Works like Drunk and The Artist are representative examples of this style.