Found In Translation

"学生们在忠于原剧内容和艺术精髓的基础上，充分发挥了他们的创造性和想象力，将以杨子荣为首的解放军和土匪之间的斗智斗勇生动形象地搬上了艾默蕾大学的舞台，受到了观众的热烈欢迎。" Huaxun Today

(Forgive my translation there are a number of characters I don't know here) The students put on a play ("Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy") faithful to the original, they used their creativeness and imagination (to put on the play).  Yang Zirong (yours truly) used his wits to lead the People's Liberation Army in a battle against the bandits on the stage at Emory University.  It received a warm welcome from the audience.

It has been interesting learning about the Cultural Revolution.  Initially my class read first hand accounts of those who survived, and those who were not so lucky.  I'll admit, this was the most difficult part of the class.  One story after another of people's lives being ruined, of their dreams being taken away from them.  Though quite impossible, I longed to reach out my hand and help them.  To take the falsely accused from their public humiliations and executions.  To advise the teenagers who so violently lead the march towards revolution to calm down and resist their hormonal rebellious urges.  I exited this section with an understanding of the hardships face by those living during the Cultural Revolution.  

Then we took a step back and looked at the Cultural Revolution on a more macro scale.  For example, how plays influenced.  No longer was a play created by a single person, instead groups of 10 or more authors would come together and write as a group.  Plays were censored and had to follow very strict guidelines to have the Communist Party's ok.  8 plays emerged that all other plays were to be based upon (in regards to hero design, support of the party, use of Mao slogans, etc).  Soon every play became more and more alike, heaven have mercy on the man who produced a play not to the party's standard, he would certainly be branded a counter-revolutionary (反革命) and be subjected to a harsh treatment.  A popular quote sums up this situation - 八亿人看八个样板 - Eight million people watching eight models (types of plays).

Using the knowledge of the people of the Cultural Revolution and their culture, we put together "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy", and the rest is history!  At some point in the future I want to return to the arts of the Cultural Revolution and compare them with the art of today, but that is for another day.

 

 

 

Photos by Huaxun Today