Lady Precious Stream Shimer College 1942

Hsiung Shih-I (; also S. I. Hsiung or Xiong Shiyi; 1902–1991) was a writer, biographer, translator, academic, and playwright in Beijing and London. He was the first Chinese person to direct a West End play, and the founder of Tsing Hua Academy in Hong Kong.

Biography

Hsiung was born in Nanchang on October 14, 1902, and educated at Beijing University (then Peiping University). As a professor and writer in China, Hsiung translated plays by George Bernard Shaw and

J.M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

. He also published a successful Chinese translation of '' The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin''. He taught at universities in Beijing and Nanchang as well as Nanyang University in Singapore. In 1932, he moved to England, studying English literature at Queen Mary College, University of London and translating Chinese plays into English. After the success of ''Lady Precious Stream'' in 1934, however, he abandoned his studies. In 1935, Hsiung's ''Lady Precious Stream'', based on the Chinese folklore

Wang Baochuan and Xue Pinggui ''Wang Baochuan and Xue Pinggui'' (), also known by many other names such as ''The Red-Maned Stallion'', ''Wujiapo'', ''Returning to the Cave'', and ''The Story of the Colourful Tower'', is a Chinese legend commonly played out in Chinese opera thea ...

, was performed at the

Little Theatre Little Theatre or Little Theater may refer to: Australia *Little Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia * Little Theatre, Sydney, former name of the Royal Standard Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales *Melbourne Little Theatre, an amateur theatre company ...

in John Street, London, by the People's National Theatre, directed by Nancy Price and Hsiung, and ran for 1,000 nights. The play was also later performed on Broadway at the Booth Theatre in New York, produced by

Morris Gest Morris Gest (also Maurice Guest, March 15, 1875 – May 16, 1942) was an American theatre producer, theatrical producer of the early 20th century. Early life Moishe Gershnowitz was born near Vilna (then part of the Russian empire, now Lithuania), ...

. It was adapted for television in 1950. Hsiung's subsequent works were also successful, but did not match the success of ''Lady Precious Stream''.

Relationships

Hsiung's wife, Dymia Hsiung, was the first Chinese woman in Britain to author a fictionalized autobiography. They shared a flat in Hampstead with fellow expatriate Chiang Yee, author of '' The Silent Traveller'' series. Hsiung’s great-grandson is comedian

Ken Cheng Ken Cheng, is a British-born Chinese professional poker player and comedian noted for reaching the final of the 2015 BBC New Comedy Awards. Cheng studied mathematics at Homerton College, University of Cambridge but dropped out to become a professio ...

Works

* ''Lady Precious Stream'': an old Chinese play done into English according to its traditional style by S.I. Hsiung (Wang Pao-ch'uan), 1935 * ''The Romance of the Western Chamber'', 1935 (trans.) * ''The Professor from Peking'', 1939 * ''The Bridge of Heaven'', 1943 * ''The Life of Chiang Kai-Shek'', 1948

References

Works cited

* * * 1991 deaths 1902 births Republic of China translators Chinese dramatists and playwrights Republic of China writers 20th-century Chinese translators 20th-century Chinese dramatists and playwrights Alumni of University College London People from Nanchang Writers from Jiangxi {{China-translator-stub