Tian Han ( zh, 田汉; 12 March 1898 – 10 December 1968), formerly romanized as T'ien Han, was a Chinese drama activist, playwright, a leader of revolutionary music and films, as well as a translator and poet. He emerged at the time of the

New Culture Movement The New Culture Movement was a progressivism, progressive sociopolitical movement in China during the 1910s and 1920s. Participants criticized many aspects of traditional Chinese society, in favor of new formulations of Chinese culture inform ...

of the early 20th century and continued to be active until the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, when he was denounced and jailed for two years until his death, before being "posthumously rehabilitated" by the Chinese authorities in 1979. He is considered by drama historians as one of the three founders of Chinese spoken drama, together with Ouyang Yuqian and Hong Shen. His most famous legacy may be the lyrics he wrote for " March of the Volunteers" in 1934, which were later adopted as the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Biography

During the May Fourth Movement in 1919, Tian became famous for the vigorous anti-imperialist and anti-feudalist activities in the circle of artists and intellectuals he gathered. Tian was educated at Tokyo Higher Normal School (present-day

University of Tsukuba is a List of national universities in Japan, national research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki, Japan. The university has 28 college clusters and schools with around 16,500 students (as of 2014). The main Tsukuba ca ...

) in Japan. Returning from Japan in 1921, Tian established the Creation Society together with Guo Moruo and Yu Dafu, and other Chinese intellectuals. The Southern China Society, also headed by Tian, played a leading role in promoting dramatic performances in southern China. In 1927, Tian taught at the Department of Literature of Shanghai Art University. Later, he joined The League of Chinese Left-Wing Dramatists. In 1934, he collaborated with the activist Liu Liangmo on the patriotic anthem, March of the Volunteers. Tian used various aliases and

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

s including his

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Tián Shòuchāng (), Bóhóng (), Chén Yú (), Shùrén (), and Hànxiān (). Tian, then Chairman of the Union of Chinese Drama Workers and Vice-Chairman of the All China's Federation of Literary and Art Circles, was targeted by the Gang of Four and attacked during the

in 1966 for his historical play ''Xie Yaohuan'' (1961), which was regarded as an attack on Chairman Mao's policies and the CCP leadership. Criticism of this play, along with two other historical plays ('' Hai Rui Dismissed from Office'' by Wu Han and ''

Li Huiniang ''Li Huiniang'' () is a tragicomedy written by . Told in six acts and set in the Song dynasty, the plot follows the titular heroine, who becomes a vengeful ghost after being killed by her husband. It premiered in 1962 to "overwhelmingly positive" ...

'' by Meng Chao), were the opening salvos of the Cultural Revolution. Tian was denounced in a 1 February 1966 ''

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...

'' article entitled "Xie Yaohuan is a Big Poisonous Weed" (田汉的《谢瑶环》是一棵大毒草 ''Tián Hàn de Xiè Yáohuán Shì yī kē Dà Dúcǎo''). The ''

Jiefang Daily ''Jiefang Daily'' ( zh, s=解放日报, p=Jiěfàng Rìbào), also translated as ''Liberation Daily'', is the official daily newspaper of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. History ''Jiefang Daily'' was first publish ...

'' called ''Xie Yaohuan'' a "political manifesto". The play was condemned for, among other things, of "being a wholesale inheritance of China's theatrical legacy and promoting traditional plays", "disparaging revolutionary modern plays" and "promoting bourgeois class liberalism and obfuscating the direction for the workers, peasants and soldiers". Tian was subsequently persecuted by the Gang of Four and incarcerated as a "counterrevolutionary" in a prison which was run personally by Kang Sheng, and died there in 1968. After the end of the Cultural Revolution, he and ''Xie Yaohuan'' were “rehabilitated posthumously” (considered to be rehabilitated after death) in 1979.

Works

Although a proponent of western style theater ('' huaju'') in China, Tian also produced a number of works with historical themes.

Major plays

*''Kafeidian Yi Ye'' (A Night in the Coffee Shop) 1922 *''Wufan Zhiqian'' (Before Lunch) 1922 *''Huo Hu Zhi Ye'' (A Night of Capturing the Tiger) 1924 *''Suzhou Ye Hua'' (Night Talk of

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

) 1928 *''Hu Shang de Beiju'' (A Tragedy of the Lake) 1928 *''Ming You Zhi Si'' (Death of a Noted Actor) 1929 *''Nan Gui'' 1929 *''Mei Yu'' (Plum Rains) 1932 *''Yueguang Qu'' (Moonlight Melody) 1932 *''Luan Zhong'' 1932 *''Yangzi Jiang de Bao Feng Yu'' (Storm on the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

) 1935 *''Hui Chun Zhi Qu'' (Spring Melody) 1935 *''Hong Shui'' (Flood) 1935 *''Lugou Qiao'' ( Lugou Bridge) 1937 *''Han Jiang Yu Ge'' (Fisherman's Song of the Han River) 1939 *''Qiu Sheng Fu'' 1942 *''Liren Xing'' (Women Side by Side) *''Guan Hanqing'' 1958 *''Xiè Yáohuán'' () 1961

Librettos

*''Baishe Zhuan'' (The White Snake) (1958)

Film scripts

* ''Go to the People'' 到民间去 (''Dao minjian qu'') (1927) (unfinished) *'' Three Modern Women'' (1932) *'' Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm'' (1935) *'' Women Side by Side'' (1949) *'' A Test of Love'' (1958)

Song lyrics

*" March of the Volunteers" (1935) *" The Wandering Songstress" (1937)

Translations

*'' Salomé'' (

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

) (1921)

In popular culture

Tian Han was the prototype for the figure of "Kuang Wentao" (played by Bo Gao) in the 1959 biopic '' Nie Er'',Wang Zhuoyi
''Revolutionary Cycles in Chinese Cinema, 1951–1979'', pp. 140 f.
St Martin's Press (New York), 2014. which retold the story of the composition of the Chinese National Anthem on the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. For the 50th anniversary in 1999, he was represented directly in the film '' The National Anthem'', played by He Zhengjun. His story was also told in '' The National Anthem'', a 27-episode television series, and in the play '' Torrent'' (, ''Kuángliú''), produced in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

in the year 2000. In the 2009 film '' The Founding of a Republic'', he was portrayed by

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan ( zh, c=甄子丹, p=Zhēn Zǐdān, j=, first=j; born 27 July 1963) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Fi ...

References

References and further reading

* Includes translations of plays, background on Tian and modern drama. * , esp
pp. 91-92, 115-127
* *

External links

* *Liang Luo,

" ''China Beat'' (July 16, 2008). {{DEFAULTSORT:Tian, Han 1898 births 1968 deaths Chinese dramatists and playwrights National anthem writers Writers from Changsha Chinese lyricists Musicians from Changsha People persecuted to death during the Cultural Revolution 20th-century Chinese poets 20th-century Chinese translators Poets from Hunan 20th-century Chinese dramatists and playwrights University of Tsukuba alumni Chinese silent film directors Chinese expatriates in Japan