Shakespeare on the Chinese Stage in the 1990s

Abstract

In this article I will use three recent productions to explore changes that have occurred in the understanding and performance of Shakespeare, and to examine his place in modern Chinese theater in the 1990s and beyond. To put the discussion into a clearer context, it is necessary to give a brief account of Shakespearean performance in China. Since Shakespeare was first professionally staged in China in 1913,1 his plays have been produced in two basic ways. In one the plays were translated (usually in vernacular prose) and performed in modern Chinese theatrical form, which is known as huaju, or spoken drama.2 Most productions in this style attempted to reproduce Western drama by using Western settings, costumes, and makeup, including wigs and false noses. If there were not enough wigs, the performers sometimes had to bleach their hair blond. Large-scale productions, using lavish scenographic methods with elaborate lighting and pictorial set pieces, were generally expected. In order to reproduce the Western style, European productions of Shakespeare (productions mounted in the former USSR taking pride of place) were closely observed and painstakingly documented. Renaissance humanism was usually the dominant theme of these productions. The second method of presenting Shakespeare was to adapt the original text into a traditional Chinese theatrical script and to perform it in the regional style. The three productions this article discusses were all in spoken-drama style, but they broke with the conventions established by other modern Chinese Shakespearean productions in terms of interpretation or staging method. These productions not only reflect a new dimension of looking at Shakespeare in China but also indicate new directions for Shakespeare performance in today's China.