Selected Chinese Drama of the 20th Century - (Senior High School Part) (Revised Edition)

Author: Zou Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The Selected Plays of 20th Century Chinese Drama has chosen eight representative plays, hoping that students can gain a general understanding of Chinese theater without spending too much time. These eight plays include two one-act plays and six multi-act plays. Although the number is small, they largely reflect the development process of Chinese theater from simplicity to complexity, from immaturity to maturity, as well as its unique ideological and artistic style. Drama creation saw significant growth in the 1920s. Amateur theatrical activities, primarily led by students and employees in major and medium-sized cities across the country, greatly stimulated the creation of one-act plays, especially comedies, including such frequently performed masterpieces as Oppression and Night of Catching a Tiger. After the mid-1930s, theater again became more professionalized, with large theater performances becoming the mainstream, the audience size soaring, multi-act play creation flourishing, and stage art making great strides. Chinese theater finally ushered in a mature and fruitful season.