Ouyang Yuqian(Chinese:Âu Dương dư thiến;May 12, 1889 – September 21, 1962) was a Chinese playwright,Peking operaactor and writer, film screenwriter and director, and drama educator. He is considered by drama historians as one of the three founders of the modern Chinese spoken drama, together withTian HanandHong Shen.[1]He was also one of the top Peking opera performers, regarded as a southern counterpart ofMei Lanfang.
Ouyang Yuqian | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ouyang Yuqian | |||||||||||
| Native name | Âu Dương dư thiến | ||||||||||
| Born | Ouyang Liyuan May 12, 1889 Liuyang,Hunan,Qing China | ||||||||||
| Died | September 21, 1962(aged 73) Beijing,China | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Dramatist, educator, film director, actor | ||||||||||
| Language | Chinese | ||||||||||
| Alma mater | Meiji University Waseda University | ||||||||||
| Period | 1906–1962 | ||||||||||
| Genre | Stage play,Peking Opera | ||||||||||
| Literary movement | New Play | ||||||||||
| Spouse |
Liu Yunqiu (m.1906) | ||||||||||
| Children | Ouyang Shanzun | ||||||||||
| Relatives | Ouyang Ligeng (father) Liu Yixia (mother) Ouyang Zhonghu (grandfather) | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | Âu Dương dư thiến | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | Âu Dương dư thiến | ||||||||||
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Ouyang Yuqian was the founding president of theCentral Academy of Dramafrom 1950 until his death in 1962. He also served as vice chairman of theChina Federation of Literary and Art Circles,vice chairman of theChinese Dramatists Association,and chairman of theChinese Dancers Association.[2]
Names
editOuyang Yuqian's name at birth wasOuyang Liyuan(Âu Dương lập Viên), and hishaowas Nanjie (Nam kiệt). He also used the stage names and pen names including Lanrong (Lan dung), Liansheng (Liên sanh), and Taohua Buyi'an Zhu (Đào hoa không nghi ngờ am chủ).[2]
Early life and education
editOuyang Yuqian born on 12 May 1889 into a wealthy and highly educated family inLiuyang,HunanProvince. His father was Ouyang Ligeng (Chinese:Âu Dương lực cày), and mother Liu Yixia (Chinese:Lưu ỷ hà). His grandfather Ouyang Zhonghu (Chinese:Âu Dương trung hộc) was a scholar who served as governor ofGuilinPrefecture during theQing dynasty.[2][3]
When he was 15, Ouyang went to study in Japan.[4]He graduated from Seijo School (Thành thành trường học) inTokyo,and then studied business atMeiji Universityand literature atWaseda University.[3]In 1906, Ouyang and other Chinese students in Japan co-founded theSpring Willow Society(Xuân liễu xã,Chunliu She), which marked the beginning of modern Chinese theatre.[5]
Career
editEarly career — Peking opera and drama
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He returned to China in 1911 and founded the New Play Comrade Society (Tân kịch đồng chí sẽ) with his Spring Willow colleague Lu Jingruo (Lục kính nếu). They later established the Spring Willow Theatre inShanghai,but it went out of business when Lu died in 1915.[2]
In 1914, Ouyang Yuqian began to write and act inPeking operas.From 1914 to 1928, he wrote 18 operas, and directed and performed in 29. He also adapted more than 50 traditional stories into Peking opera, including many from the classic novelDream of the Red Chamber.[2]His acting was so highly acclaimed that he was considered the southern counterpart of the masterMei Lanfang.[4][3]In 1918, he was invited byZhang Jianto establish an actors' school and the Gengsu Theatre (Càng tục kịch trường) inNantong,Jiangsu.[2]
Although a famous Peking opera performer, Ouyang was also active in promoting the "New Play" (spoken drama). He joined several New Play societies in the 1910s and co-founded several pioneering drama troupes, including the Masses Theatre Society, the Drama Cooperative Society (Hí kịch hiệp xã), and the Southern Drama Society.[5]During this period, he collaborated with like-minded dramatists and directorsHong Shen,Ying Yunwei,Zhang Shichuan,Zheng Zhengqiu,andZhou Jianyun.[2][6]In 1922, he wrote the playAfter Returning Home(Về nhà về sau), considered one of the earliest satirical comedies in China.[1]In his 1928 playPan Jinlian,he depictedPan Jinlian,the archetypalfemme fataleof classical Chinese culture, as a free-spirited woman victimized by a male-dominated traditional society.[7]He played the title role himself.[2]
1920s and 1930s — film and drama
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After Zhang, Zheng, and Zhou started theMing xing Film Companyin 1922, they invited Ouyang Yuqian to join their studio, but Ouyang declined because, according to himself, he was earning a "substantial salary" as a Peking opera performer.[6]He did help out on several occasions, but at the same time wrote three films for the rivalChina Sun Motion Picture Companyfrom 1926 to 1928. He acted in two of the three films,Why Not Her?(Ngọc khiết băng thanh) andA Wandering Songstress(Thiên nhai ca nữ), and directed the third,Three Years Later(Ba năm về sau).[2]
In 1929, Ouyang Yuqian was invited byChen Mingshu,chairman ofGuangdongProvince, to establish the Guangdong Drama Research Institute inGuangzhou.His political view turned increasingly left-wing, especially after the1932 Japanese attackof Shanghai. He joined the Left-Wing Dramatist League in Guangzhou and participated in the first drama festival in theSoviet Union.In 1933, he joined Chen Mingshu'sFu gian Rebellion,and was forced to escape to Japan after its failure.[2]
After returning to Shanghai in 1934, Ouyang Yuqian joinedXinhua Film Companyand wrote his firstsound filmNew Peach Blossom Fan(Tân đào hoa phiến).[2]In 1935, he joined Ming xing, by then one of the largest Chinese film studios, and helped the studio secure a crucial bank loan using his own family resources.[6]He made three films with Ming xing:Qingming Festival(Thanh minh thời tiết),Xiao Lingzi(Tiểu linh tử), andRed Haitang(Hải đường hồng).[2]
Japanese invasion and Civil War
editOuyang Yuqian joinedLianhua Film Companyin 1937. While he was shooting the filmSo Busy(Như thế phồn hoa), theEmpire of Japanlaunched a full-scaleinvasion of Shanghai,which destroyed most of the city's film studios. After Japan occupied the Chinese sections of Shanghai, Ouyang made several anti-Japanese plays in theShanghai International Settlement,before fleeing toBritish Hong Kong,where he wrote the screenplay for the patriotic filmMulan Joins the Army.[2]
During theSecond Sino-Japanese War,Ouyang Yuqian spent most of his time inGuilin,Guangxiin southwest China, which was largely free from Japanese occupation. He studiedGuilin operaand established a school for the art. He established Guangxi Provincial Art Museum in 1940, and an art theatre 1944. In 1944, he andTian Hanorganized the First Southwest Opera Expo in Guilin, which lasted three months and attracted almost a thousand performers.[2]
After thesurrender of Japanat the end of World War II, he returned toShanghaiin 1946 and served as the playwright-director of New China Drama Society (Tân Trung Quốc kịch xã). He also taught at Shanghai Experimental School of Drama. In January 1947, he led a delegation to perform inTaiwan,but had to leave when theFebruary 28 Incidentbroken out. Because of theChinese Civil War,Ouyang left again for Hong Kong, and worked as the screenwriter-director of Yonghua Film Company.[2]
People's Republic of China
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In March 1949, he was invited by theCentral Committee of the Chinese Communist Partyto attend the firstChinese People's Political Consultative Conference.He was elected director of the Chinese National Opera Improvement Committee and a Standing Committee member of theChina Federation of Literary and Art Circles.[2]
Ouyang Yuqian became the founding president ofCentral Academy of Dramain April 1950. He joined theChinese Communist Partyin 1955. He also served as vice chairman of theChina Federation of Literary and Art Circles,vice chairman of theChinese Dramatists Association,and chairman of theChinese Dancers Association.He was a member of the first National Committee of theChinese People's Political Consultative Conferenceand the first and secondNational People's Congress.[2]
In his later years, he published several memoirs and books on film and drama theory, and a book onTang dynastydances. On 21 September 1962, Ouyang Yuqian died of an illness inBeijing.[2]
Personal life
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Ouyang Yuqian married Liu Yunqiu (Chinese:Lưu vận thu), also known as Liu Wenqiu (Chinese:Lưu hỏi thu), in 1906.[2]They had a daughter, Ouyang Jingru (Chinese:Âu Dương kính như;13 September 1928–2013) and an adopted son Ouyang Shanzun (Chinese:Âu Dương sơn tôn;24 May 1914–2 July 2009), who was also a dramatist.
See also
edit- Ouyang Yuqian Grand Theater,in Liuyang, Hunan
References
edit- ^abChen 2014,p. 5.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrs"Ouyang Yuqian (1889—1962)"(in Chinese).Ministry of Culture of China.Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved6 May2015.
- ^abcBậc thầy khai không khí hậu sinh thường ngưỡng mộ — phóng Âu Dương dư thiến chỗ ở cũ.People's Daily(in Chinese). 2006-08-18. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-02-04.Retrieved2015-05-01.
- ^abCody 2007,p. 1024.
- ^abHuang 2014,p. 123.
- ^abcHuang 2014,p. 124.
- ^Yeh 2000,p. 273.
Bibliography
edit- Chen, Xiaomei (1 April 2014).The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama.Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-16502-0.
- Cody, Gabrielle H. (2007).The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama.Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-14424-7.
- Huang, Xuelei (12 August 2014).Shanghai Filmmaking: Crossing Borders, Connecting to the Globe, 1922-1938.BRILL.ISBN978-90-04-27934-6.
- Yeh, Wen-Hsin (2000).Becoming Chinese: Passages to Modernity and Beyond.University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-22218-2.