• Chinese Drama and Theatre
• 

        By examining dramatic literature in its cultural context, students will investigate such topics as the relation between theatrical performances and ritual practice, gender identities, the relation between nationalism and performative identity, and cross-cultural exchange through theatre.

Course Objectives

At the end of the semester students should:

• Possess knowledge of the major genres and works of Chinese drama, the influence of western theatre in the formative process of modern Chinese huaju drama, as well as identify major stylistic features of important theatrical conventions. (comparative perspective)

• Be able to analyze the aesthetic features of important dramatic works, and to demonstrate understanding of the relationship between a work and its cultural context through applying various disciplinary modes of study (close reading and discussion, critical analysis, interpretation of visual materials, interpretation through written assignments and oral reports…etc.). (creative thinking and oral communication)

• To describe and illustrate traditional and contemporary Chinese cultural and ethical values and evaluate their significance in a global, comparative context. (cross-cultural perspective)

• To develop the ability to conduct independent research, including the ability to locate primary and secondary sources; to read scholarly works with critical eye, to pose meaningful questions, form a thesis, gather evidence, and provide persuasive arguments by analyzing textual and audio-visual materials and other evidence. (critical thinking)

Towards the end of the semester, students will be able to discuss the dissemination and transformation of traditional Chinese cultural and ethical values from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) to the 21st century. They will develop the ability to conduct independent research on the primary text, and to evaluate the significance of the works in cross-cultural, comparative context.

Grading Scale

A 93 and above
A- 90-92.99
B+ 87-89.99
B 83-86.99
B- 80-82.9
9C+ 76-79.99
C 70-75.99
D 60-69.99
F 59.99 and below

Attendance and Participation (15%)

Attendance and participation comprise a significant part of your overall grade. Your active participation and attendance are essential to your success and that of your classmates, who form part of your learning community in this course.

You may have two unexcused absence without consequences to your grade, but your grade will be reduced by one point (up to the total of 15 points for attendance and participation) for each absence beyond the first two. Excused absences may be granted for emergencies and special circumstances with the instructor’s prior consent. Absences for religious holidays must be made up in order to be excused. Absences due to participation in a University-sponsored event require a completed and signed Class Absence Form or comparable letter (with institutional signature); work missed must be made up in order for the absence to be excused. Absences for legitimate, unavoidable reasons such as illness, injury, family emergency, or religious observance may be excused if (a) the instructor is notified in advance (unless the situation is a medical emergency) by email; (b) documentation is provided, at the instructor’s request, that attests to the unavoidable and legitimate reason for the absence, and (c) all missed work is made up. In general make-up work for regular class sessions will consist of work deemed to be the equivalent one regular class session; make-up work for missed sessions must be made up within one week following the student’s return to class.

Evaluation Guidelines for Attendance & Participation

90-100 % Student is well prepared, as demonstrated by her/his critical response papers and comments made in class; is interested in and respects others’ opinions; asks and responds to questions; demonstrates knowledge of course materials; fosters a vibrant intellectual community.

80-89 % Student is generally prepared, makes an effort to refer to readings and course topics; is willing to participate in discussions in class.

70-79 % Student reluctantly participates in class activities and is often unprepared; rarely practices critical thinking; does not demonstrate sufficient knowledge of course materials.

60-69 % Student is unwilling to participate in class activities and unable to ask or answer questions; is generally unprepared; demonstrates little knowledge of course materials.

0-59 % Student is absent (physically or mentally), unprepared, or disruptive in class.

 

Resources

GW Media Resources Center

Writing Center

Code of Academic Integrity

Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of exams, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Students who are found to be dishonest will receive academic sanctions and will be reported to the University Academic Office for possible further disciplinary sanctions. Possible academic sanctions include reduced course grade to F for course.

Disability Support Services (DSS)

George Washington University encourages qualified students with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any kind of accommodation in this course or have any questions about physical access, please tell the instructor as soon as possible.

UCC Academic Support Services

The University Counseling Center (UCC) provides services to enhance academic success and to further educational goals for GW students. These services include self-help and online resources, testing, individual counseling, and group counseling. Tel: 202-994-5300.

 

 

 

CHIN 3173: Chinese Drama and Theatre

Course Description

        This is a multimedia-enhanced course, which introduces students to the dramas and theatrical genres of China in both their traditional and contemporary iterations. The course presupposes little or no knowledge of the Chinese language, culture, or history.
        Students will be introduced to the history of Chinese theatre, the aesthetics of theatrical performances, as well as works of representative playwrights in major dramatic genres. The historical and cultural background will be presented in chronological order, allowing students to develop an in-depth understanding of major literary and aesthetic trends.
        Class work includes lectures or presentations by the instructor but emphasizes student participation through means such as guided discussions, student-led class discussions, and skits and oral presentations. Through individual and collaborative analytical exercises, students will become familiar with a number of critical terms used in literary analysis and develop the skills to interpret the major features of Chinese drama and theatre.

 

Required Readings

Chinese Theater: From Its Origins to the Present Day. Colin MacKerras, Editor. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1983. ISBN: 0824812204.

The Stagecraft of Peking Opera: From Its Origins to the Present Day. By Pan Xiafeng. Beijing: New World Press, 1995. (Available from Cheng & Tsui in Boston.) ISBN: 0614161827.

Six Yuan Plays. By Jung-En Liu (Translator). New York: Penguin USA, 1972. ISBN: 0140442626.

Scenes for Mandarins: The Elite Theater of the Ming. (Translations from the Asian Classics.) By Cyril Birch (Translator). New York: Columbia University Press, 1995. ISBN: 0231102623.

The Story of the Western Wing. By Shifu Wang; Stephen H. West and Wilt L. Idema Translators. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995. ISBN: 0520201841.

The Peony Pavilion (Mudan Ting). By Hsien-Tsu T'ang; Translated by Cyril Birch. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1980. ISBN: 0253357233.

The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama. Ed. Xiaomei Chen. NY: Columbia UP, 2010. ISBN: 9780231145701.

Crump, James I. "The Conventions and Craft of Yuan Drama," Journal of the American Oriental Society 91.1 (1971), 14-29; rpt. Studies in Chinese Literary Genres, ed. Birch, pp. 192-219. (Blackboard)

Wolff, Ernst. "Law Court Scenes in the Yuan Drama," Monumenta Serica 29 (1970-71), 193-205. (Blackboard)

Yü Shiao-ling. "Taoist Themes in Yüan Drama," Journal of Chinese Philosophy (Special Issue: Taoism in Chinese Literature, ed. Hsin-sheng C. Kao) (Blackboard)

Birch, Cyril. “A Comparative View of Dramatic Romance: The Winter’s Tale and The Peony Pavilion,” in Interpreting Culture Through Translation. Edited by Roger T. Ames et al., pp. 59-77. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 1991. (Blackboard)

Dorothy Ko. “The Enchantment of Love in The Peony Pavilion.” In Teachers of the Inner Chambers: Women and Culture in Seventeenth-Century China, pp. 68-115. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1994. (Blackboard)

Idema, Wilt L. “Satire and Allegory in All Keys and Modes.” In China Under the Jurchen Rule. Edited by Hoyt C. Tillman and Stephen H. West, pp. 238-80. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995. (Blackboard)

Dolby, William. “Wang Shifu’s Influence and Reputation.” Ming Qing Yanjiu 3 (1994): 19-45.

 

Other readings will be available online (as PDF files or HTML files) through the course website on Blackboard. You need to access the texts well in advance in case there are problems with the website.Films and multimedia materials will be on course reserve.

Recommended

Acting the Right Part: Political Theater and Popular Drama in Contemporary China. By Xiaomei Chen. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0824824839.

Drama Kings: Players and Publics in the Re-creation of Peking Opera, 1870-1937. By Joshua Goldstein. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780520247529.

Chinese Shakespeares: Two Centuries of Cultural Exchange. By Alexander C. Y. Huang. NY: Columbia UP, 2009. ISBN: 9780231148498.

 

Schedule

1/17 Overview

1/19 The origin of Chinese drama. Read Six Yuan Plays, "Introduction"; and Colin MacKerras, Chinese Theater: From Its Origins to the Present Day

1/24 The northern drama and features of Yuan zaju drama. Read The Orphan of Chao

1/26 The musical organization of zaju. Read The Orphan of Chao. Group presentation 1

1/31 Thematic categories of zaju. Read The Soul of Ch'ien-nü Leaves Her Body; Crump, James I. "The Conventions and Craft of Yuan Drama"

Group performance 1

2/2 The performance of zaju. Read The Soul of Ch'ien-nü Leaves Her Body

Group presentation 2

2/7 Quiz 1. Group performance 2

2/9 The Injustice Doen to Tou Ngo

Group presentation 3

2/14 Chang Boils the Sea

Group performance 3

2/16 Chang Boils the Sea

Group presentation 4

2/21 Quiz 2; The aesthetic feature of xiqu. Read Master Tung's Western Chamber Romance

2/23 The "In all keys and modes" (zhugongdiao). Read Master Tung's Western Chamber Romance

Group performance 4

2/28 Story of the Western Wing

Group presentation 5

3/1 Story of the Western Wing. Group performance 5.

3/6 Story of the Western Wing. Group presentation 6.

3/8 Mid-term exam

3/13 Spring Break

3/15 Spring Break

3/20 Story of the Western Wing

Mid-term paper due

3/22 Quiz 3

3/27 The Peony Pavilion. Group performance 6

3/29 The Peony Pavilion and female readers' self-perception. Group performance 7

4/3 The Nationalization of Beijing Opera. Read The Peony Pavilion; and Dorothy Ko, Teachers of the Inner Chambers, Chapter 2

4/5 Quiz 4. Mei Lanfang and the Beijing Opera. Read Joshua Goldstein, Drama King and Pan Xiafeng, The Stagecraft of Peking Opera: From Its Origins to the Present Day

4/10 Film and Discussion: Farewell My Concubine. Read Pan Xiafeng, The Stagecraft of Peking Opera

Group presentation 7

Final paper draft due

4/12 Modern Chinese drama; huaju spoken drama. Read Cao Yu's Thunderstorm and Chen's "Introduction" to The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama

4/17 Cultural Revolution and the eight "model operas." Read Chen's Acting the Right Part and The Red Lantern (hongdeng ji)

4/19 The Red Lantern

4/24 Quiz 5. Intercultural theatre and Beyond. Wu Hsing-Kuo’s Lear is Here (video on Global Shakespeares). Read Huang's Chinese Shakespeares, chapter 7.

4/26 Intercultural theatre and Beyond. Read Gao Xingjian's Snow in August (on Blackboard). Read Huang's "The Theatricality of Religious Rhetoric: Gao Xingjian and the Meaning of Exile." Theatre Journal 63.3 (2011): 365-379.

5/4 Final Paper due