Drama as Political Commentary: Women and the Legacy of the May Fourth Movement in Cao Yu's Plays

One of the major legacies of the May Fourth Movement (1919) is the literature produced at the time, and within that canon the emergence of huaju (spoken drama) occupies an important position. As China's most prominent playwright of the twentieth century, Cao Yu published important plays, most notably Thunderstorm, Sunrise, and Peking Man, which feature some of spoken drama's most successful female characters. In light of the theory of literary event, this article intends to analyze those female protagonists with reference to Nora's departure, and to explore the power of social criticism embodied in their struggles to win freedom and independence. As young female intellectuals, these women undergo difficult experiences and end up with different endings. Reconsidered as pieces of political commentary, Cao Yu's plays reflect the legacy of the May Fourth Movement, that is, the idea that literature is an event that has power to act and intervene into reality.