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

Promotional Information

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

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.

Reviews

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 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 Graduate Center, City University of New York 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