Thunderstorm

Author: Cao Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Cao Yu's technique in setting dramatic conflicts is unparalleled. Two generations, coming from opposing classes, become entangled due to multiple coincidences of fate. Their complex emotional entanglements exacerbate their already wounded hearts. Under the merciless manipulation of fate and the cruel play of emotions, they are left powerless. Some die, some go mad, some flee, and two families are destroyed in a single day. This is the devastation of human nature by feudal families. After reading it, not to mention the characters in the play, even we were filled with immense suffering and complete despair. Cao Yu's play Thunderstorm is one of the most successful works in modern Chinese drama. With exceptional artistic talent, the author profoundly depicts the inevitable collapse of the old system and delivers a powerful expose and critique of the class heading towards decline and death. Thunderstorm is a work of exquisite artistic structure, with its dramatic conflicts highly concentrated, particularly evident in the second act.