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BRECHT'S฀THEATR E฀ A N D฀CHINES E฀DRAM A฀ Ding฀Yangzhon g฀ Brecht฀live d฀an d฀wrot e฀i n฀th e฀firs t฀hal f฀o f฀th e฀ twentieth฀century ,฀whe n฀societ y฀wa s฀undergoin g฀dramati c฀ changes.฀Scientifi c฀socialis m฀wa s฀spreadin g฀an d฀th e฀ contradictions฀o f฀capitalis m฀becam e฀increasingl y฀acute .฀ The฀foundin g฀o f฀th e฀firs t฀socialis t฀country ,฀th e฀disaster s฀ brought฀upo n฀mankin d฀b y฀th e฀tw o฀worl d฀wars ,฀an d฀th e฀rapi d฀ advances฀o f฀technolog y฀- ฀al l฀thes e฀importan t฀event s฀ affected฀th e฀progres s฀o f฀socia l฀development .฀Thes e฀ changes฀i n฀tur n฀necessaril y฀change d฀variou s฀literar y฀forms .฀ Many฀ne w฀artisti c฀current s฀an d฀school s฀appeare d฀i n฀ Europe.฀I t฀wa s฀i n฀thi s฀historica l฀perio d฀tha t฀Brech t฀ attempted฀t o฀creat e฀a ฀theatrica l฀for m฀mor e฀appropriat e฀ for฀expressin g฀th e฀panoram a฀an d฀complexit y฀o f฀to-day' s฀ social฀life .฀ Brecht's฀theatr e฀consist s฀o f฀tw o฀inseparabl e฀parts ,฀ dramatic฀wor k฀an d฀dramaturgy .฀I n฀orde r฀t o฀realiz e฀a ฀ne w฀ principle฀o f฀art ,฀Brech t฀explore d฀an d฀assimilate d฀element s฀ from฀Europea n฀an d฀Orienta l฀tradition s฀o f฀differen t฀ historical฀period s฀- ฀fro m฀Gree k฀dram a฀t o฀th e฀dram a฀o f฀th e฀ German฀Workers '฀Movement .฀Thi s฀pape r฀i s฀a ฀preliminar y฀ investigation฀o f฀th e฀relationshi p฀betwee n฀Brecht' s฀theatr e฀ and฀Chines e฀drama .฀ Brecht฀wa s฀intereste d฀i n฀Chines e฀cultur e฀an d฀arts ,฀i n฀ its฀ancien t฀philosophy ,฀suc h฀a s฀th e฀philosophica l฀thought s฀o f฀ Mozi฀(M o฀Tzu )฀an d฀Kongz i฀(Confucius) .฀H e฀admire d฀Tan g฀ poetry฀fo r฀it s฀us e฀o f฀plai n฀language .฀H e฀translate d฀som e฀ poems฀b y฀B o฀Juy i฀(P o฀Chu-i )฀an d฀Ma o฀Zedong .฀H e฀studie d฀ Mao's฀philosophica l฀though t฀an d฀employe d฀Mao' s฀dialectica l฀ method฀t o฀analyz e฀problem s฀o f฀ar t฀i n฀his฀treatis e฀o n฀drama ,฀ entitled฀'Dialectic s฀i n฀th e฀Theatre' .฀I n฀hi s฀librar y฀i n฀Berlin ,฀ Brecht's฀cop y฀o f฀Ma o฀Zedong' s฀Maodu n฀lu n฀(O n฀ Contradiction)฀an d฀hi s฀collectio n฀o f฀Chines e฀books ,฀a฀ Brecht's฀Theatr e฀an d฀Chines e฀Dram a฀2 9฀ portrait฀o f฀Confuciu s฀an d฀facia l฀makeu p฀mask s฀o f฀Pekin g฀ Opera,฀etc .฀ar e฀well-preserved .฀H e฀base d฀th e฀famou s฀play ,฀ The฀Caucasia n฀Chal k฀Circl e฀o n฀th e฀Yua n฀dramatist ,฀L i฀ Xingdao's฀'Ba o฀daizh i฀zh i฀zhua n฀hu i฀Ia n฀ j i '฀(Judg e฀Ba o฀an d฀ the฀Chal k฀Circle )฀re-interpretin g฀it s฀meaning .฀H e฀chos e฀ the฀paraboli c฀for m฀t o฀trea t฀philosophica l฀matter s฀i n฀Th e฀ Good฀Perso n฀o f฀Sezuan .฀Th e฀Chines e฀pla y฀whic h฀portray s฀ the฀Wa r฀o f฀Resistanc e฀agains t฀Japan ,฀entitle d฀Liangs i฀ (Food)฀(titl e฀change d฀t o฀Hirs e฀fu r฀di e฀Acht e฀[Mille t฀fo r฀th e฀ Eighth฀Army] )฀wa s฀als o฀adapte d฀an d฀performe d฀i n฀th e฀ Berliner฀Ensemble .฀Thes e฀fact s฀indicat e฀tha t฀Brech t฀i s฀no t฀ only฀a ฀tru e฀frien d฀o f฀Chin a฀bu t฀als o฀a ฀studen t฀o f฀Chines e฀ culture฀an d฀arts .฀I n฀th e฀winte r฀o f฀1960 ,฀whe n฀I ฀wa s฀ receiving฀m y฀practica l฀trainin g฀i n฀Leipzi g฀Theaterhoch schule ฀an d฀th e฀Berline r฀Ensemble ,฀I ฀hear d฀tha t฀Helen e฀ Weigel฀Brecht ,฀th e฀manage r฀o f฀th e฀Ensemble ,฀wishe...

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