The Birth and Growth of Chinese Drama The History of Chinese Drama, Volume 1

This is a book of the history of China’s contemporary drama. It provides a panorama of the ups and downs of Chinese drama. It tells how this western art has been adapted to the Chinese context and what it has offered to the world of theatre. It illustrates who the outstanding playwrights are and what great drama they have produced. The book shows how Chinese traditional culture has been blended with this western art form. The book also demonstrates how deeply drama is involve in Chinese politics and daily life.

Part I. The Birth of Chinese Drama and Its Life before 1949.- 1. The Birth of Chinese Drama.- 2. Chinese Drama in the 1920s.- 3.  Theatrical Activities of the League of the Leftist Dramatists and the Rise of Drama for War Resistance.- 4. Theatrical Activities in the 1940s.- 5. Drama in the Liberated Areas.- Part II. Drama in the First 17 Years of the People’s Republic.- 6. The Establishment of the National Drama System.- 7. Tea House—A Monument.- 8. The One-Act Plays of Sun Yu and He Qiu.- 9. Tian Han and His Plays.- 10. The Historical Plays of Guo Moruo.- 11. The PLA Drama.- Part III. Chinese Drama in the Cultural Revolution.- 12. Chinese Drama in Disasters.- Part IV. Drama in the “New Period”.- 13. The Insurgence of the Art of Drama (1977-1981).- 14. The Exploration Period amid Crises (1982-1989).- 15. The Adaptation Period amid the Tide of Market Economy (1990-2020).- 16. The Small Theatre Movement.- 17. Annual Reports (2011-2020).

Wang Ronghua is an advisor to the International Confucius Association, member of Council of the Diplomatic Pen. He is a guest professor of the University of Jinan. He was a distinguished professor at the School of Chinese Language and Literature, University of International Business and Economics. He is former Chinese Ambassador to Iceland.