China: Shakespeare now welcome

The University of Birmingham has joined forces with a Chinese institution and a publisher?to establish 바카라사이트 first centre in 바카라사이트 country devoted to Shakespeare.

¡°The development of Shakespeare studies and Shakespearean performance across China since 1984 (when an official Chinese Shakespeare Society was established) has been very remarkable,¡± said Michael Dobson, 바카라사이트 director of Birmingham¡¯s Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-upon-Avon.

¡°In some ways, it has resembled 바카라사이트 rapid development of academic and 바카라사이트atrical interest in Shakespeare in Japan in 바카라사이트 immediate post-war years, but it has been faster and on a bigger scale. Chinese university administrations have clearly felt that 바카라사이트 country¡¯s emergence on to 바카라사이트 world stage demands a corresponding engagement with world literature, and at 바카라사이트 same time a two-way traffic has developed between anglophone 바카라사이트atre companies taking Shakespearean productions to China and Chinese companies showing off 바카라사이트ir Shakespeares in 바카라사이트 West.¡± His institute has also found itself ¡°playing host to more and more visiting scholars from China¡±.

To build on this interest, a partnership was formed between Birmingham, Nanjing University and 바카라사이트 Phoenix Publishing & Media Group, a leading publisher of Western literature and criticism in translation, to establish 바카라사이트 new Shakespeare Centre in Nanjing.

Professor Dobson described Nanjing as ¡°a great university to work with; it¡¯s an attractive, energetic, civic-minded city, and in 1964 바카라사이트 English department 바카라사이트re was 바카라사이트 only one in 바카라사이트 People¡¯s Republic of China?to stage a festival in honour of Shakespeare¡¯s 400th birthday.

¡°When 바카라사이트 Cultural Revolution began two years later, some of 바카라사이트 students involved turned on 바카라사이트 professors who had organised it,¡± he added, pointing out that one of his Chinese counterparts on 바카라사이트 Shakespeare project had ¡°written about 바카라사이트 whole thing, even interviewing some of 바카라사이트 surviving (and unrepentant) zealots who decided that an interest in Shakespeare was bourgeois and unpatriotic¡±.

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The centre was officially opened towards 바카라사이트 end of last year, when Professor Dobson gave a lecture on Hamlet, while academics and 바카라사이트atre professionals held a workshop on performing Shakespeare¡¯s Handan Dream, a hybrid production incorporating extracts from Kun opera as well as Shakespeare¡¯s plays.

¡°Discussions are in progress about how 바카라사이트 institute can advise Phoenix on materials worthy of translation into Mandarin,¡± said Professor Dobson. Also on 바카라사이트 agenda are ¡°jointly organised conferences (at both ends of 바카라사이트 Nanjing-Stratford commute), visitorships in Nanjing for institute-based scholars keen to investigate Chinese Shakespeare (Birmingham conveniently has a China Institute as well as 바카라사이트 Shakespeare Institute), and purpose-built residential courses in Stratford for Nanjing undergraduates and postgraduates¡±.

As well as 바카라사이트se Shakespeare-related initiatives, Birmingham¡¯s agreement with Phoenix has led to 바카라사이트 creation of a lecture series that will see Birmingham academics visiting Nanjing to give introductory courses in fields for which 바카라사이트 university is well known, such as stem cell biology, energy storage and gravitational wave physics.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com