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BRECHT฀I N฀ASI A฀- ฀TH E฀CHINES E฀CONTRIBUTIO N฀ Wolfram฀Schlenke r฀ I The฀Hon g฀Kon g฀Internationa l฀Brech t฀Seminar :฀ Consequences฀an d฀Problem s฀ After฀returnin g฀t o฀Beijin g฀fro m฀Hon g฀Kon g฀I ฀trie d฀t o฀ establish฀wha t฀th e฀Chines e฀participant s฀ha d฀retaine d฀fro m฀ the฀Seminar .฀I t฀wa s฀afte r฀al l฀th e฀firs t฀tim e฀tha t฀artist s฀an d฀ Germanists฀fro m฀th e฀People' s฀Republi c฀ha d฀participate d฀i n฀ a฀Brech t฀conferenc e฀outsid e฀th e฀People' s฀Republic ,฀eve n฀i f฀ not฀al l฀wh o฀ha d฀bee n฀invite d฀wer e฀allowe d฀t o฀come ,฀an d฀s o฀ there฀wer e฀goo d฀reason s฀fo r฀bein g฀curiou s฀abou t฀th e฀ consequences.฀Al l฀th e฀mor e฀s o฀sinc e฀th e฀relativel y฀larg e฀ group฀fro m฀Chin a฀playe d฀a ฀comparativel y฀smal l฀rol e฀i n฀th e฀ discussions,฀i n฀th e฀firs t฀plac e฀becaus e฀th e฀languag e฀barrie r฀ was฀no t฀properl y฀overcome ,฀secondl y฀becaus e฀Chin a฀ha s฀ comparatively฀littl e฀practica l฀experienc e฀wit h฀Brecht ,฀an d฀ thirdly฀becaus e฀th e฀casua l฀an d฀informa l฀styl e฀o f฀th e฀ Seminar฀an d฀th e฀rapid ,฀swiftl y฀changin g฀movemen t฀o f฀th e฀ discussions฀wer e฀unaccustomed .฀ Hence฀i t฀wa s฀al l฀th e฀mor e฀surprisin g฀t o฀se e฀ho w฀th e฀ Seminar฀di d฀giv e฀considerabl e฀stimulu s฀an d฀ho w฀i t฀als o฀ supported฀existin g฀endeavours .฀Thi s฀impression ,฀justifyin g฀ in฀retrospec t฀th e฀troubl e฀take n฀ove r฀th e฀Seminar ,฀wa s฀a t฀ least฀th e฀resul t฀o f฀conversation s฀wit h฀th e฀co-directo r฀Che n฀ Yong฀an d฀th e฀stage-designe r฀Xu e฀Oianji e฀wh o฀ha d฀ presented฀thei r฀197 9฀productio n฀o f฀Lif e฀o f฀Galile o฀fo r฀ discussion.฀The y฀assure d฀m e฀tha t฀thei r฀participatio n฀ha d฀ been฀exceptionall y฀useful .฀T o฀begin ,฀o n฀purpose ,฀wit h฀th e฀ most฀importan t฀practica l฀point ,฀the y฀wer e฀encourage d฀i n฀ their฀pla n฀t o฀produc e฀Th e฀Caucasia n฀Chal k฀Circle ,฀whic h฀ would฀b e฀th e฀thir d฀Brech t฀play ,฀afte r฀Mothe r฀Courag e฀an d฀ The฀Chines e฀Contributio n฀ 187฀ Galileo฀t o฀b e฀performe d฀o n฀th e฀Chines e฀stage .฀Almos t฀ more฀importan t฀i s฀Che n฀Yong' s฀consideratio n฀t o฀withdra w฀ at฀leas t฀t o฀som e฀smal l฀exten t฀fro m฀th e฀constan t฀attritio n฀ of฀th e฀Chines e฀Yout h฀Ar t฀Theatre' s฀hecti c฀turnove r฀o f฀ne w฀ plays฀i n฀orde r฀no t฀merel y฀t o฀hav e฀mor e฀tim e฀fo r฀reflectio n฀ but฀als o฀t o฀experimen t฀wit h฀younge r฀actors ,฀wh o฀ar e฀ofte n฀ trained฀i n฀th e฀Theatre ,฀an d฀invit e฀a ฀particula r฀audienc e฀t o฀ watch฀them .฀Thi s฀i s฀quit e฀unusua l฀i n฀th e฀Chines e฀theatr e฀ and฀woul d฀b e฀mos t฀significan t฀fo r฀it s฀development ,฀al l฀th e฀ more฀s o฀a s฀w e฀ca n฀observ e฀a ฀certai n฀tendenc y฀t o฀ commercialise฀th e฀theatre' s฀activities ,฀thoug h฀th e฀brake s฀ are฀applie d฀o n฀a ฀politica l฀an d฀administrativ e฀level ,฀eve r฀ since฀th e฀theatre s฀an d฀thei r฀personne l฀hav e฀almos t฀ exclusively฀depende d฀o n฀thei r฀ow n฀taking s฀withou t฀ subventions.฀ There฀i s฀als o฀a ฀questio n฀o f฀formin g฀a n฀interna l฀workin g฀ group฀o n฀Brech t฀i n฀th e฀Chines e฀Yout h฀Ar t฀Theatre .฀I n฀a฀ more฀academi c฀context ,฀a ฀smal l฀Chines e...

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