“The bard in the Middle kingdom” (Publication, 1995)
Year
1995
Text
Li, Ruru. The bard in the Middle kingdom. In : Asian theatre journal ; vol. 12, no 1 (1995). [Betr. William Shakespeare]. (Shak15)
Type
Publication
Mentioned People (1)
Shakespeare, William
(Stratford-upon-Avon 1564-1616 Stratford-upon-Avon) : Dramatiker, Dichter
Subjects
Literature : Occident : Great Britain
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References / Sources
Chronology Entries (7)
| # | Year | Text | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1907 |
Aufführung von Hei nu yu tian lu = "Black slave's cry to heaven" von Zeng Xiaogu nach Hei nu yu tian lu in der Übersetzung von Lin Shu und Wei Yi [ID D10429], unter der Regie von Li Shutong [Li Xishuang] und Ouyang Yuqian, durch chinesische Studenten der Chun liu she (Spring Willow Society) im Hongô Theater in Tokyo, June 1-2, 1907. Adaptation von Uncle Tom's cabin von Harriet Beecher Stowe. Li Shutong played Amelia Shelby, her husband was played by Huang Nannan and George Harris was played by Xie Kangbai. Ouyang Yuqian played a slave girl. Song and dance were improperly intruded. A visitor from China sang an aria from a Beijing opera. The play was divided into five acts. This, for a Chinese audience accustomed to an unbroken action upon the stage, was an innovation which the new drama companies of the early period found hard to sustain. The whole play, in preparation at least, was in spoken dialogue from a completely written text, a feature which became impossible to maintain in the circumstances in which the Spring Willow Society was forced to play in Shanghai. This first version of the story was used to reflect the abjection of China in her anticolonial struggle at the beginning of the twentieth century. The play was the beginning of the Chinese spoken drama hua ju. The most striking differences between Stowe's novel and the adaption are the absence of Christian religion in the Chinese play and the ending. Whereas the novel ends with the emancipation of the slaves by the character George Shelby, in Zeng's play the slaves liberate themselves. This play was unlike previous Chinese xi qu in excluding dance and song and disallowing recitation, soliloquies, or asides. The theme of oppression and liberation had an obvious appeal for the young Chinese students in Tokyo. Their dramatized version completely removed the Christian emphasis of Stowe's book and made the theme a struggle between the negro slaves and their oppressors, the slave-dealers, with final victory for the slaves in their slaughter of the slave-dealers. In the programme of the play is declared : The Aims of the Spring Willow Society's 1907 Grand Performance. "The greatest task of artistic performance is in enlightenment. Therefore this society's creative work begins with this. It has established a special section to study old and new drama. It hopes to be the leader of the reform of our country's world of the arts." Ouyang Yuqian, who participated in the performance recalled : "The play was divided into five acts and consisted totally of dialogue, with no recitation, no chorus, no soliloquy or asides. It was rendered in the typical form of the drama. Although the play was adapted from a novel, it should be considered the first created script of Chinese drama because there had never existed before in China a play in the form of divided acts." Zhang Geng (1954) described the performance "as a most memorable performance in the history of Chinese drama. It was the first performance presented by the Chun liu she and was fairly successful in content, form, and technique. It made a deep impression on the audience and had a great effect on the development of drama". Cao Xiaoqiao (1987) : "Although only male actors performed in the play, the use of stage settings and the division of acts were breakthroughs as compared with traditional operas." |
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| 2 | 1914 | Aufführung von Wosailuo = Othello von William Shakespeare nach Lamb, Charles. Yingguo shi ren yin bian yan yu [ID D10417] durch die Chun liu she (Spring Willow Society). | |
| 3 | 1916 |
Aufführung von Qie guo zei = The usurper of state power = eine chinesische Adaptation von Hamlet und Macbeth von William Shakespeare durch die Yao feng xin ju she (Yaofeng New Drama Group) mit dem Schauspieler Gu Wuwei in Shanghai. Die Aufführung ist eine Atacke gegen Yuan Shikai. Die Zeitung Min guo ri bao schreibt : "He [Claudius] is the minister of the court but he usurps the power of the king and the country, and also commits adultery with the queen. He is the brother of the king but he steals his sister-in-law from her husband and seizes state power. To avenge his father's death, the hero has no choice but to sham insanity. In the end death spares no one. What a ruthless tragedy this is !" Li Ruru : Gu Wuwei, a popular actor who was involved in the production, was arrested and sentenced to death by the authorities on the charge of using drama to incite local disorder. He was not released from prison until Yuan Shikai was overthrown. |
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| 4 | 1937 |
Aufführung von Luomi'ou yu Zhuliye [ID D14237] = Romeo and Juliet von William Shakespeare in der Übersetzung von Tian Han durch die Shanghai ye yu shi yan ju tuan (Shanghai Amateur Experimental Drama Company) unter der Regie von Zhang Min. Zhao Dan spielt Romeo und Yu Peishan Juliet. Tang, Wen. Luomiou yu Zhuliye : canguan cai pai. In : Da gong bao zeng kan ; 8 Juni (1937). Er schreibt : "Everything on the stage is black, and immediately you feel the horror and the sadness of death. The set is made from a dozen platforms of different sizes in semi-circular shapes. Along both sides of the stage, there are a chancel, a platform for Juliet's body and hug staircases. Lighting is provided by candles. Accompanied by heartbreaking music, the hero and heroine – one dies and the other comes to life, and then one comes to life and the other dies. How sad ! How touching ! This play will make audiences shed countless tears !" Li Ruru : The production was of importance in at least one sense : during its run, many reviews and critical analyses were carried in newspapers, journals and magazines. This production initiated a link between translation, performance and criticism in the history of the 'Shakespeare enterprise' in China It was a production in which Chinese practitioners attempted to implement Constantin Stanislavski's methods in 'hua ju' acting. As a theatrical form based on the established Western theatre with influences taken from Japanese 'shingeki', it was keen to 'grab' anything from abroad, no matter if it was from 'xi yang' (Western – foreign – Europe and America) or from 'dong yang' (Eastern foreign – Japan). |
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| 5 | 1956 | Aufführung von Romeo and Juliet von William Shakespeare durch die Zhong yang xi ju xue yuan (Central Academy of Drama) unter der Regie von Kurinev. | |
| 6 | 1959 | Aufführung von Much ado about nothing von William Shakespeare durch die Shi yan ju tuan Shanghai xi ju xue yuan (The Experimental Troupe of the Shanghai Theatre Academy) unter der Regie von Hu Dao. | |
| 7 | 1994 | Die Zhongguo Shashibiya yan jiu hui = The Chinese Shakespeare Society organisiert das Shanghai International Shakespeare Festival. |
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Cited by (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000- | Asien-Orient-Institut Universität Zürich | Organisation / AOI |
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