The centenary exhibition Cao Yu: Pioneer of Modern Chinese Drama was opened at London's Confucius Institute, in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), on 10 February 2011. Some 150-170 participants attending the event.

Keynote speeches were given by Mr Wu Xun, Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, and by Lady Youde OBE.

'Cao Yu is the most important figure in Chinese drama,' Mr Wu said. 'People love his plays because his drama evolves alongside society. ... From his plays, we read the characteristics and the spirit of the time, which gives them eternal value.' Mr Wu also pointed to the most vibrant condition of spoken drama in medium-sized and large cities throughout today's China and believed there was 'great potential for research, exchange and collaboration between the theatres in China and in Britain.'

Lady Youde recalled her own experience of the Chinese theatre from 1948 when she first lived in China, observing that drama would always offer an insightful approach to the society and people. She welcomed the commemoration of Cao Yu's centenary in Britain because it would raise awareness of both the playwright and the modern Chinese stage among the general public, who are all very conscious of China's increasingly important role in international politics and the global economy. Dr Li Ruru's lecture Cao Yu and Modern Chinese Drama after Thunderstorm was well received. As Cao Yu's stepdaughter, and a researcher of modern and traditional Chinese theatre, Li revealed the complicated inner world of the playwright since his childhood, and the dilemmas and the difficulties that Cao Yu confronted during the second half of the twentieth century. She also explored the artistic value of Cao Yu's plays, and their current impact on twenty-first-century Chinese drama.

The opening was reported on the Chinese Ministry of Culture’s website: (Chinese)

It has also attracted interest in Paris and on the 18th February 2011, the BBC Chinese Service produced an article on their website about Cao Yu and Alan Ayckbourn (Chinese).

For further information on Cao Yu, please visit our Introduction to Cao Yu pages.

Cao Yu – the most significant figure in the development of modern drama in China – is the subject of a series of events being held in London, Leeds, Edinburgh and Newcastle throughout the year, as a celebration of the centenary (plus one) of his birth.

Work gives understanding of China's recent history and its culture

Born in 1910, Cao Yu lived through many of the great upheavals experienced in 20th century China and the exhibition presents his life and works as a way of giving audiences a more profound understanding of China's recent history and its culture.

Modern drama in China is known as 'spoken drama' to distinguish it from the traditional Chinese song-dance theatre. Often compared to Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov and O'Neill, Cao Yu is credited with aiding this non-indigenous type of drama reach a degree of maturity in both form and audience reception in the mid-1930s. His early plays gained canonical status due to their artistry and skilful fusion of contemporary political and social themes. His powerful portrayal of people and exploration of human complexity still touch the hearts of twenty-first-century audiences.

'Although crowned with glory in public, Cao Yu remained deeply troubled by inner torment, particularly by his inability to write more plays in his later years,' says Dr Ruru Li, Cao Yu's step-daughter and curator of the exhibition. 'His life and career exemplify the dilemmas and difficulties faced by generations of Chinese intellectuals in the 20th century, offering us a vivid narrative of modern China.'

Continuing influence

Despite the fact that Cao Yu died in 1996, he continues to influence Chinese drama. Jude Kelly OBE, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, said of Cao Yu: "Anyone involved or interested in theatre will be fascinated by his life and career and how he navigated the twists and turns of the Chinese political regimes and, in particular, the communist ideology and Cultural Revolution. His writing has influenced two generations of young Chinese artists and been the catalyst for the burgeoning state run theatre industry in Beijing, Shanghai and other cites."

Exhibition details

The exhibition opened on 10 February in the Brunei Gallery in SOAS. WREAC core researcher Dr. Li Ruru gave a lecture 'Cao Yu and China's Modern Drama after the Thunderstorm', which was illustrated by video clips and images of performances followed by an open discussion. A film version of Thunderstorm was shown after the talk.

From 21-26 March the exhibition visited Leeds University, where Dr Li is a senior lecturer. A devised stage work 'The Sun is Not For Us' based on the female characters from Cao Yu's plays was also featured at stage(at)leeds from 21-23 March.  A report of the opening of these events on 21st March can be found at the Chinese Ministry of Culture's website 'Chinese Culture' (in Chinese).

The exhibition will move to Edinburgh, being held from 7-8 September at the Conference Centre, University of Edinburgh and then from 9-16 September at the Confucius Institute of Scotland. The exhibition will also be shown in Newcastle in October (dates to be confirmed).

For further details please contact Dr Ruru Li, senior lecturer in East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds on 0113 343 3469 or email r.li@leeds.ac.uk

Note:

The exhibition is supported by the White Rose East Asia Centre, London Confucius Institute, Confucius Institute for Scotland, Chinese Embassy Cultural section, Shanghai Theatre Academy Theatre Museum and the Beijing People's Art Theatre Theatre Museum.

For further information on Cao Yu, please visit our Introduction to Cao Yu pages.

Dr Alison Hardie, a specialist in Chinese garden design and social uses of gardens in early modern China and WREAC core researcher based at the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds, has accepted an invitation to join the committee of Senior Fellows in Garden and Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks, for a three-year term beginning in July this year. Dumbarton Oaks is a research institute in Washington, DC, belonging to Harvard University. The committee consists of six appointed Senior Fellows and the Director of Garden & Landscape Studies. Meeting twice a year, it advises the Director of Dumbarton Oaks on the programme, and assesses applications for fellowships and project support (see www.doaks.org).