China and the West

Xiao, Qian. The dragon beards versus the blueprints [ID D26358].
Xiao Qian schreibt : "In China, Ibsen is looked upon as a social surgeon rather than as a playwright. In those days, China was so hopelessly ill that she needed a daring doctor capable of prescribing the most desperate remedies. In the midst of the revolt, young Chinese, especialy those who had studies abroad, found sympathizers in Europe. Foremost of these was the Norwegian dramatist Ibsen. His works seemed to express their own resentment against existing society and their passion for revolt. Too excited to bother about the details of his theatrical art, they call to him from their desperate loneliness, 'Beloved teacher, at last we have found you !' He was hailed by coung China as a comrade rebel, a champion of individual rights. Thus an Oriental shrine was built for the Sage from Scandinavia."
"Ibsen's popularity in China between 1917 to 1921 cannot be exaggerated. For a time the theme of a play was crudely interpreted as 'the social problem it dealt with'. Obviously it was also held by our critics as a convenient criterion. Some have accused our moralizing critics of counting the number of fashionable terms like 'hunger' and 'exploitation' amployed by the author before they passed their final verdict as to whether a work was 'solid'. But playwrights themselves also formed a habit of describing their works in terms of 'problems' dealt with."