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 movement in China in the 1910s and 1920s that criticized classical Chinese ideas and promoted a new Chinese culture based upon progressive, modern and western ideals like democracy and science. Arising out of ...

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 sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, 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 Ouyang Yuqian (; May 12, 1889 – September 21, 1962) was a Chinese playwright, Peking opera actor and writer, film screenwriter and director, and drama educator. He is considered by drama historians as one of the three founders of Chinese spoken ...

and

Hong Shen Hong Shen (; 31 December 1894 – 29 August 1955) was a Chinese playwright, film director and screenwriter, film and drama theorist, and educator. He is considered by drama historians as one of the three founders of Chinese spoken drama, togethe ...

. His most famous legacy may be the lyrics he wrote for "

March of the Volunteers The "March of the Volunteers" (), originally titled the "March of the Anti-Manchukuo Counter-Japan Volunteers", has been the official national anthem of the People's Republic of China since 1978. Unlike previous Chinese state anthems, it wa ...

" 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 Europea ...

of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Biography

During the

May Fourth Movement The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) to protest the Chin ...

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 public university, public research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki, Japan. It is a top 10 Designated National University, and was ranked Type A by the Japanese government as part of the Top Global University Pro ...

) 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 Liu Liangmo ''Liángmó'') (6 November 1909 – 8 August 1988) was a musician and Chinese Christian leader known for his promotion of the patriotic mass singing movement in the 1930s and promotion in the United States of support for Chin ...

on the patriotic anthem,

. Tian used various aliases and

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, 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 na ...

s including his

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

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 The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...

and attacked during the

in 1966 for his historical play ''Xie Yaohuan'' (1961), which was regarded as an attack on

Chairman Mao Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

's policies and the CCP leadership. Criticism of this play, along with two other historical plays (''

Hai Rui Dismissed from Office ''Hai Rui Dismissed from Office'' () is a theatre play notable for its involvement in Chinese politics during the Cultural Revolution. The play itself focused on a Ming Dynasty minister named Hai Rui, who was portrayed as a savior to passive peasa ...

'' by Wu Han and ''

Li Huiniang Li, li, or LI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects * Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political te ...

'' by

Meng Chao Meng may refer to: * Meng (surname) (孟), a Chinese surname * Master of Engineering (MEng or M.Eng.), an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering * , "M with hook", letter used in the International Phonetic Alphabet * ...

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

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...

'' 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'' (), also translated as ''Liberation Daily'', is the official daily newspaper of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). History ''Jiefang Daily'' was first published on May 28, 1949, in Shanghai. From 1941 ...

'' 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

and incarcerated as a "counterrevolutionary" in a prison which was run personally by

Kang Sheng Kang Sheng (; 4 November 1898 – 16 December 1975) was a Chinese Communist politician best known for having overseen the CCP's internal security and intelligence apparatus during the early 1940s and again at the height of the Cultural Revolu ...

, 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 (話劇 ''huàjù'') 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 (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trad ...

) 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 Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

) 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 ''Women Side by Side'' (), also translated as ''Three Women'' and ''Female Fighters'', is a 1949 Chinese film directed by Chen Liting, made near the end of the Republic of China (1912–49), Republican era. It is Chen's most famous directorial wo ...

'' (1949) *'' A Test of Love'' (1958)

Song lyrics

" (1935) *"

The Wandering Songstress "Tianya genü" (), or "The Wandering Songstress", is one of two theme songs from the 1937 Chinese film '' Street Angel''; the other being the "Four Seasons Song" (). It was composed by He Luting based on an older Suzhou ballad, with lyrics by Tia ...

" (1937)

Translations

*'' Salomé'' (

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

) (1921)

In popular culture

Tian Han was the prototype for the figure of "Kuang Wentao" (played by Bo Gao) in the 1959

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...

Nie Er Nie Er (14 February 1912 – 17 July 1935), born Nie Shouxin, courtesy name Ziyi (子義 or 子藝), was a Chinese composer best known for "March of the Volunteers", the national anthem of People's Republic of China. In numerous Shanghai magaz ...

'',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 The "March of the Volunteers" (), originally titled the "March of the Anti-Manchukuo Counter-Japan Volunteers", has been the official national anthem of the People's Republic of China since 1978. Unlike previous Chinese state anthems, it was ...

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 Torrent or torrents may refer to: * A fast flowing stream Animals * Torrent duck, a species of the family Anatidae * Torrent fish * Torrent frog, various unrelated frogs * Torrent robin, a bird species * Torrent salamander, a family of sa ...

'' (, ''Kuángliú''), produced in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

in the year 2000. In the 2009 film ''

The Founding of a Republic ''The Founding of a Republic'' is a Chinese historical drama produced in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and was made to portray the final years of the Chinese Communist Revolution that followed the end of the ...

'', he was portrayed by

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...

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 Republic of China translators People's Republic of China translators Chinese lyricists Musicians from Changsha People persecuted to death during the Cultural Revolution Republic of China poets People's Republic of China poets 20th-century Chinese translators Poets from Hunan 20th-century Chinese dramatists and playwrights University of Tsukuba alumni Chinese silent film directors