The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama: abridged edition

by Xiaomei Chen

Overview

This condensed anthology reproduces close to a dozen plays from Xiaomei Chen's well-received original collection, The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama, along with her critical introduction to the historical, cultural, and aesthetic evolution of twentieth-century Chinese spoken drama. Comprising representative works from the Republican era to postsocialist China, the book encapsulates the revolutionary rethinking of Chinese theater and performance that began in the late Qing dynasty and vividly portrays the uncertainty and anxiety brought on by modernism, socialism, political conflict, and war.

Chosen works from 1919 to 1990 also highlight the formation of national and gender identities during a period of tremendous social, cultural, and political change in China and the genesis of contemporary attitudes toward the West. PRC theater tracks the rise of communism, juxtaposing ideals of Chinese socialism against the sacrifices made for a new society. Post-Mao drama addresses the nation's socialist legacy, its attempt to reexamine its cultural roots, and postsocialist reflections on critical issues such as nation, class, gender, and collective memories. An essential, portable guide for easy reference and classroom use, this abridgment provides a concise yet well-rounded survey of China's theatricality and representation of political life. The original work not only established a canon of modern Chinese drama in the West but also made it available for the first time in English in a single volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231165037
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	03/25/2014
Series:	Weatherhead Books on Asia
Edition description:	abridged edition
Pages:	656
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Xiaomei Chen is professor of Chinese literature at the University of California at Davis. She is the author of Occidentalism: A Theory of Counter-Discourse in Post-Mao China and Acting the Right Part: Political Theater and Popular Culture in Contemporary China; editor of Reading the Right Text: An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Drama; and coeditor of East of West: Cross-cultural Performance and the Staging of Difference. Her book Staging Chinese Revolution: Founding Fathers, Red Classics, and Revisionist Histories of Twentieth-Century China is forthcoming from Columbia University Press.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Hu Shi, The Main Event in Life (1919), translated by Edward M. Gunn
2. Tian Han, The Night the Tiger Was Caught (1922–1923), translated by Jonathan S. Noble
3. Ouyang Yuqian, After Returning Home (1922), translated by Jonathan S. Noble
4. Ding Xilin, A Wasp (1923), translated by John B. Weinstein and Carsey Yee
5. Bai Wei, Breaking Out of Ghost Pagoda (1928), translated by Paul B. Foster
6. Cao Yu, Thunderstorm (1934), translated by Wang Tso-liang and A. C. Barnes, revised translation by Charles Qianzhi Wu, with a translation of prologue and epilogue
7. Xia Yan, Under Shanghai Eaves (1937), translated by George Hayden
8. Lao She, Teahouse (1958), translated by Ying Ruocheng, revised by Claire Conceison
9. Tian Han, Guan Hanqing (1958), retranslated by Amy Dooling
10. Chen Yun, The Young Generation (1965), translated by Constantine Tung and Kevin A. O'Connor
11. Weng Ouhong and A Jia,, revised by the China Peking Opera Troupe, The Red Lantern (1970), translated by Brenda Austin and John B. Weinstein
12. Gao Xingjian, The Bus Stop (1983), translated by Shiao-Ling Yu
13. Sha Yexin, Jiang Qing and Her Husbands (1990), translated by Kirk A. Denton
Glossary
Contributors

What People are Saying About This

Marvin Carlson

Xiaomei Chen's monumental anthology of modern Chinese drama admirably fulfills a major need in the field. These twenty-two plays, paired with a useful contextualizing introduction, allow English readers to access for the first time the full range of modern dramatic production in this major nation. Students, teachers, and innovative producers will find that this impressive collection expands their cultural horizons.

— Marvin Carlson, The Graduate Center, City University of New York

Ban Wang

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama is a great piece of historical and analytical scholarship, evincing a breadth of history and depth of ideological critique hard to find in critics preoccupied with body and performance. The plays are not simply material for historical survey; their line-up forms an argument on China's pursuit of modernity, social justice, and equality.

— Ban Wang, Stanford University

Editorial Reviews

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama is a great piece of historical and analytical scholarship, evincing a breadth of history and depth of ideological critique hard to find in critics preoccupied with body and performance. The plays are not simply material for historical survey; their line-up forms an argument on China's pursuit of modernity, social justice, and equality.

Ban Wang

Xiaomei Chen's monumental anthology of modern Chinese drama admirably fulfills a major need in the field. Students, teachers, and innovative producers will find that this impressive collection expands their cultural horizons.

Marvin Carlson

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama's excellent selection, colloquial and stage-friendly translations, and illuminating introduction undoubtedly make the volume the authoritative choice in teaching and reading modern Chinese drama for the foreseeable future.

PRI's The World

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama's excellent selection, colloquial and stage-friendly translations, and illuminating introduction undoubtedly make the volume the authoritative choice in teaching and reading modern Chinese drama for the foreseeable future.

World Books--PR's The World

Praise for The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama

"The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama's excellent selection, colloquial and stage-friendly translations, and illuminating introduction undoubtedly make the volume the authoritative choice in teaching and reading modern Chinese drama for the foreseeable future." — PRI's The World

"It brings any Western readers closer to the fascinating and rich world of modern Chinese theatre." — China Quarterly

"A rich, insightful, and thought-provoking perspective." — The Drama Review

"Chen's volume contributes significantly to the available huaju texts in English, and will meet needs in multiple disciplines." — Journal of Asian Studies

Columbia University Press

From the Publisher

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama's excellent selection, colloquial and stage-friendly translations, and illuminating introduction undoubtedly make the volume the authoritative choice in teaching and reading modern Chinese drama for the foreseeable future.

World Books—PR's The World

Chen's volume contributes significantly to the available huaju texts in English, and will meet needs in multiple disciplines.

Journal of Asian Studies - Kevin J. Wetmore

a rich, insightful, and thought-provoking perspective

The Drama Review - Faye Chunfang Fei

it brings any Western readers closer to the fascinating and rich world of modern Chinese theatre.

China Quarterly - Mary Mazzilli

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama's excellent selection, colloquial and stage-friendly translations, and illuminating introduction undoubtedly make the volume the authoritative choice in teaching and reading modern Chinese drama for the foreseeable future.

World Books - PRI's The World - Siyuan Liu

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama's excellent selection, colloquial and stage-friendly translations, and illuminating introduction undoubtedly make the volume the authoritative choice in teaching and reading modern Chinese drama for the foreseeable future.

— Siyuan Liu

World Books - PRI's The World