Chinese Drama Should No Longer Be an “Import”

China Pictorial （CP）： The Prince of Lanling is being staged as China celebrates the 110th anniversary of the arrival of European drama. Was this intentional？

Wang Xiaoying （W）： Over more than a century of development， Chinese drama has always been flavored with nationalization. In the past， we considered drama an“import” which we could neither connect Chinese culture and language seamlessly， nor adapt for local audiences. We cannot define the art this way. Japan and South Korea have the best models for combining traditional culture with the theatrical art， and both countries are quite influential on the world stage.

My insight is evidenced in The Prince of Lanling. Over the last 10 years， I’ve been striving to tap the spirit of the Chinese nation through Chinese stories in a modern way， which I call “modern expression of Chinese images.” Over the last few years， I’ve made bold attempts to support this concept in my works such as The Story of Overlord， The Tragedy of King Richard the Third， Fu Sheng， and The Prince of Lanling.

CP： Specifically， how does “modern expression of Chinese images” happen in The Prince of Lanling？

W： Not only should the “modern expression of Chinese images” infiltrate traditional Chinese art and aesthetics， it should also be presented in a modern， internationalized cultural language environment. Only by doing so can we make “the traditional more modern and the Chinese more international.”

The Song of Prince Lanling into the Array， an ancient Chinese song-and-dance play about Prince Lanling， has always been considered a prime source for traditional Chinese opera culture， which has bestowed us the opportunity to trace our ancient culture. Guichi， Anhui Province， where I started my career， is the cradle of Nuo dance， an ancient Chinese folk dance performed during sacrificial ceremonies and exorcisms. I wanted to add such elements to the stage and cast some dancers with traditional opera skills.

According to Yue Miscellany， an ancient book on the music history of the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， “Masks arrived during the Northern Qi period，” which is also the origin of The Song of Prince Lanling into the Array. We know that the oldest masks ever used in the performance of the play were found in Japan， so we made a trip there and used that style for the masks in the show.

CP： Both the East and the West are intensifying communication. Does this influence the kind of drama that is ideal for China today？

W： In the past， there were two methods in which Chinese drama could be exported. One was performances staged in foreign communities heavily inhabited by overseas Chinese to trigger nostalgia. The other was an invitation from one of the many fringe festivals， neither of which could preserve the mainstream spirit of Chinese drama.

The creation of original classics is crucial for theatrical arts. For decades， China has connected well with other parts of the globe via world classics. I hope we can express these classics in our own way， featuring the spirit and connotations of the Chinese nation. I made such an attempt in 2012 when I staged The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. It wasn’t about the form—it was about the vigorous spirit. We need similarly excellent， mainstream dramas to present the spirit of Chinese theater and publicize the spirit and values of our nation. We want to proudly display our vitality to the world， and that’s all that matters.