/PRZWT/The play "The Water of Canglang" is adapted from the novel of the same name by Yan Zhen. It is produced by Hunan Provincial Performing Arts Group and created and performed by Hunan Provincial Drama Theatre. The play tells the story of Chi Dawei, the first batch of postgraduate students after the resumption of the college entrance examination and the first generation of intellectuals cultivated after the reform and opening up, as he struggles spiritually and finds his soul's way back in the cracks of reality.
Literary language and stage vocabulary, with bold and precise adaptations
Since its publication in 2003, the novel "Canglang Water" has been reprinted over 80 times and has sold more than one million copies. It can be said to be a spiritual history of contemporary Chinese intellectuals and an important work with strong Hunan characteristics created by the Hunan-based writer Yan Zhen.
In his "Collected Essays on Jiao Juyin's Drama", the master of Chinese drama Jiao Juyin once said, "Novels are the art of evoking imagination, while drama is the art of evoking feelings." The creative team has demonstrated remarkable wisdom in making choices by condensing a million-word original work into a two-hour-plus play. The script of the play "Canglang Water" has undergone dozens of revisions and several rounds of refinement and improvement. The final presentation has achieved a delicate balance between respecting the spirit of the original work and stage reconstruction. The drama has cut out the minor details of the original work and closely focuses on the protagonist Chi Dawei's dilemma between power and conscience. It has magnified and meticulously depicted the inner scenes of the two key points that led to his transformation - his son being scalded but unable to seek help from others and whether to be a traitor - layer by layer, revealing the turmoil and reconstruction of his spiritual world. The logic of the characters and the plot of the story naturally become clear and smooth.
Innovative expressions of traditional culture and modern elements in Hunan-Xiang drama
The stage language of "Canglang Water" combines the profound heritage of Hunan culture with the visual tension of modern drama, completing a deep and dynamic artistic expression in the interweaving of tradition and modernity.
In terms of character development, the two leading actors have respectively depicted the aloofness and passion of the young Chi Dawei and the struggle and predicament of the middle-aged Chi Dawei with great precision. Through tense monologues and body language, the actors have demonstrated the tearing and reshaping of the characters' inner selves. The role of Section Chief Shen incorporates elements of traditional Chinese opera singing and "facial makeup", leaving a deep impression. The play also uses "Chinese chess" as a metaphor. Through the movements of Chi Dawei and Yan Zhihe in the game, it implies the advance and retreat as well as the persistence in the chessboard of life. In terms of dialogue design, the handling of lines in the institutional meeting is particularly ingenious: a series of parallel and progressive lines of praise contrast sharply with Teacher Yan's sudden "good", vividly depicting the various characters who protect themselves in the officialdom. In terms of stage design and visuals, the extras wear masks and use exaggerated body language to externalize Chi Dawei's inner conflicts, creating a stage language that is both modern and traditional. Dynamic music is interspersed between transitions, not only appropriately easing the oppressive atmosphere but also using soundscapes to contrast the disparity in characters' fates.
The artistic presentation of character contrast and image contrast, with a concern for reality
The most touching aspect of "The Water of Canglang" is that it transcends simple moral judgments and reveals the complex spectrum of human nature crushed by The Times.
The contrast between the characters and the imagery in the play is highly mirror-like: Ding Xiaohuai has no real skills and became the director by flattering and fawning, while Chi Dawei has been repeatedly hit because of his "sincerity". Yan Zhihe is another possible fate that Chi Dawei might take by adhering to his true self. However, at the same time, Yan Zhihe is also the outlet for his depression in this chaotic officialdom. Only through communication with Yan Zhihe can he find himself again. At the end of the play, the young and middle-aged Chi Dawei on the stage are looking at each other, with the seats symbolizing power and the lamps representing their original intentions in the middle. The play does not offer a simple moral answer. Instead, through a series of character contrasts and image contrasts, it conveys the predicament of the traditional scholar ideal of "being poor and solitary while achieving success" in contemporary times.
The water of the vast waves is clear and 濯缨, turbid and used to wash feet. "Canglang Water" has become a masterpiece of Hunan's drama art through precise story adaptation, innovative form expression and profound concern for reality. The success of this play also proves that only by adhering to the creative orientation centered on the people, rooting in reality, paying attention to human nature and daring to innovate can traditional stage art maintain its vitality and keep moving forward in the tide of The Times.
