Ibsen in China His reception and influence analyzed in time order By Jing Xu Master thesis Center for Ibsen Studies UNIVERSITETET I OSLO Spring semester, 2008 1 Acknowledgements Two-year master program in Ibsen studies offers me many unforgettable experiences. Besides many valuable achievements related to Ibsen studies, I also learn how to study intensively as well as how to write the master thesis. I owe my gratitude to all the people who have made it possible to complete this thesis. Without their help and support, this thesis can not be finished on due time. First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Jon Nygaard, for his continuous support, constructive suggestions and encouragement. It is my pleasure to learn knowledge from him. My deep gratitude goes to all the teachers in the whole master program, including Professor Atle Kittang, Professor Astrid Sæther, Professor Frode Helland, Professor Jon Nygaard, Professor Kamaluddin Nilu, Ms. Andersen Anette Storli, Ms. Maria Faskerti, Ms. Randi Meyer, and many other guest lecturers from abroad. Their excellent teaching has helped me to understand Ibsen from several different aspects. In addition, I am also grateful to Brit Elin Førsund who has arranged and organized many student events, thanks for her patience. My gratitude also goes to two ladies working in the Ibsenbiblioteket: Ms. Maria Faskerti and Ms. Randi Meyer. With their help, the searching work becomes easier. I am grateful to all my friends both in Oslo and at home. They have helped with my research work and have encouraged me when I feel upset, including Hu Aihua, Xue Fei, Qian Huizhen, Zhao Ke, Zhang Lili, Chen Xiaofei, Yu Taojie, Tang Yanling, Gao Wen, Zheng Liang, Wang Lei, Li Yinhe, Sun Jinchang, Liu Ximeng, Chang Jing and I especially thank Hu Aihua and Chen Xiaofei for helping me with my language. Last but not least, my deepest love and gratitude to my family, especially my great parents, who have expressed their love and support since I came to Norway, particularly throughout the writing time for this thesis. They unconditionally support me all the time in every detail of my life. I devote my first piece of academic work to my parents and grandparents. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................................2 Table of Contents ..............................................................................................................................3 Chapter One Introduction..................................................................................................................5 Chapter Two 1907-1917: Debut of Ibsen in China ......................................................................11 Chapter Three 1918-1928 Ibsen: a great thinker or an outstanding dramatist?............................16 Chinese Translations of Ibsen .................................................................................................18 Lu Xun and the earliest Ibsen essay in China .........................................................................21 Hu Shi and his Ibsenism: ........................................................................................................23 The “Nora theme plays”..........................................................................................................29 Ibsen’s plays were performed on Chinese stages ....................................................................32 Ibsen plays’ aesthetic and dramatic value were found by Chinese intellectuals and then be used in China...........................................................................................................................34 Summary.................................................................................................................................36 Chapter Four 1929—1948 Ibsen-style dramas blossom all over China.......................................38 Introduction:............................................................................................................................38 Literary critiques aspect..........................................................................................................39 Yu Shangyuan’s critique..................................................................................................39 Xiong Foxi’s critique ......................................................................................................40 Other literary critiques: ...................................................................................................42 The performance aspect ..........................................................................................................45 Other types of literary creation in China.................................................................................48 Chinese Translation of Ibsen’s plays in this period.................................................................49 Drama and performance aspects .............................................................................................51 Chapter Five Cao Yu....................................................................................................................54 Introduction.............................................................................................................................54 Ibsen’s influence on Cao Yu....................................................................................................55 Thunderstorm ..........................................................................................................................59 The opening scene...................................................................................................................60 The retrospective exposition ...................................................................................................63 Peripeteia ................................................................................................................................67 Characters ...............................................................................................................................70 Male characters ...............................................................................................................71 Female characters............................................................................................................77 Symbolism ..............................................................................................................................83 Foreshadowing........................................................................................................................85 Summary.................................................................................................................................86 Chapter Six 1949 - present: Ibsen and his plays in China............................................................90 1950s—1970s .........................................................................................................................90 In the 1980s when Ibsen and his plays regained Chinese people’s attention ..........................92 1990s - present ........................................................................................................................94 Yue Opera Edition Hedda Gabler ...........................................................................................96 Importance of audience’s responses to the performance:......................................................100 3 Chapter Seven Conclusion.........................................................................................................104 References.....................................................................................................................................110 Other sources ................................................................................................................................112 4 Chapter One Introduction During the last 100 years, and particularly when he was first introduced in China, Ibsen has been regarded as a revolutionary fighter or as a thinker by Chinese people. Western critics, however, have treated him as an outstanding dramatist. Why and what caused the difference? It is very important for present scholars, especially the Chinese to look back and find what really happened when Ibsen was in China and analyze his reception and influence in China. In general, Ibsen’s influence in China can mainly be summarized in two aspects, namely social political and artistic 1. The fact that Chinese critics and intellectuals have defined Ibsen differently in China causes an extended national-scope debate. Wang Songlin 2 propounds in his article “One—Hundred–Year’s Reception of Ibsen in China” that there are three climaxes of Ibsen study in China during the last 100 years: The first climax was around 1920s when Ibsen and his plays were initially accepted in China. The sharp criticism of social reality presenting in his “problem plays” attracted many Chinese intellectuals’ attention. The second climax was around 1950s when Ibsen’s plays were frequently performed on the stage in China. The last climax was about 1980s when Ibsen revived in China. In Wang’s article, he regards this period as the revival of staging and multi-perspective criticism of Ibsen.3 Since the last climax when Ibsen “returns to China”, there has been more and more Chinese