Working Paper Series

Abstract: Hong Shen 洪深 (1894-1955) is regarded as one of the founders of modern Chinese drama, however, the research on his life and works has been long neglected. This paper is divided into two parts, in which the first part will be the literature review on Hong Shen, and the second part will analyse Hong Shen’s works during Tsinghua College and the United States Era. The purpose of this paper is to re-examine Hong Shen’s contribution to modern Chinese drama by studying his adaptation works before coming back from the United States to China, which marked the beginning of his creative career. By studying the other side of his works, this paper aims to provide another interpretation on Hong Shen, analyse the meaning and significance of adaptation works in modern Chinese drama, as well as the relationship between adaptation and realism.