Dramatist Chen Lang Study

Chen Lang was an important dramatist during the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Late Qing Dynasty, who created a collection of dramas entitled Ten Dramas Written in Yushi Study. Although Beijing Opera was considered more fashionable than Kunqu Opera in dramatic circles at that time, Chen Lang was still dedicated creating Kunqu Opera in order to maintain the dignity of this art form. This paper is composed of three chapters.The first chapter, which discusses Chen Lang's relationships and other aspects of his personal and professional life,is roughly divided into two main parts:the suffering life with roving and the official life in Hangzhou like a hermit.I will also assess the procedures by which Chen Lang created his dramas so as to point out the shortcomings of the former study.In addition there is a chronicle of Chen Lang's life as an appendix in the end.The first part of the second chapter focuses on Chen Lang's Ten Dramas Written in Yushi Study, which drew from both Chinese history and classical novels. These dramas are comprised of two main types of stories:those involving heroic deeds and those of a romantic sort. The second part of Chapter Two discusses the thought, literary allusions and artistic quality of the Ten Dramas. The third part will focus primarily on the ways in which these works differ from traditional Chinese opera styles:short length like Yuan drama,roles appear on the stage irregularly,the disappearance of the end poem.In conclusion, this paper evaluates Chen Lang's status in the history of Chinese Opera, and the effect he had in preserving and inspiring this art form. Chen Lang was particularly adept at transposing his personal hardships and emotions into moving operatic scores and scenes. For this reason, his operas inspired future generations of opera-goers.