Reflections on the effect of drama on social education and the essence of art : the view of drama and the script writing theory of Han Bu’an, a drama reformer of the early Republican era

Abstract

The drama reform movement in the late Qing and early Republican era laid emphasis on the didactic function of drama, aiming to enlighten people’s minds and transform social customs. Subsequently, various organizations emerged with related activities even though none lasted long. As a result, the reform movement did not achieve any substantial outcome. After the establishment of the Republic, the government set up offices one by one and established regulations to manage and monitor the drama profession to incorporate it in organizations of social education and popular education, attempting to turn the ideas of drama reform into policies to be implemented by educational organizations. The Drama Reform Society and Opera Research Society were organizations that promoted drama reform. Han Bu’an (1877-1947), a dramatist of the early Republican years, was the director of the Drama Reform Society. He also served as the editor-in-chief of Social Education Weekly, the official publication of the Office of Social Education. His status and experience allowed him to see drama as a way of putting social education in practical implementation. Han authored many new opera scripts. In 1921, he wrote the theoretical treatise “Superfluous Remarks on Opera Writing”; and in 1924, he published a monograph entitled Bu’an on Drama. He was one of the few dramatists in early Republican years who combined theoretic discussion and creation. His active years saw the intersection between the rise and fall of the new drama forms and the May Fourth New Cultural Movement. Without giving up the traditional drama forms, he dedicated himself to exploring how to reform the traditional art of drama by adopting a hybrid performing style of “half new and half old,” and by putting forward a clear view of drama and practical script-writing theory. His efforts hold particular historical significance. 清末民初的戲劇改良運動，强調戲劇本身的教化功能，主要希冀透過戲劇而達到開啓民智、移風易俗的效果。而後紛紛出現各種組織進行相關活動，然而均未能長久持續，以致改良並未呈現具體的成效。民國以後，政府逐一規劃管理戲劇行業與政策相關部門，將其納入社會教育·通俗教育機構，同時嘗試將戲劇改良的理念轉爲政策透過教育機構執行。天津地區在1915年成立社會教育辦事處，此爲統括並監督通俗教育的機關，其下有藝曲改良社及藝劇研究社，屬於推行戲劇改良的組織。民國初年劇作家韓補庵（1877-1947）曾任藝曲改良社的社長，亦擔任社會教育辦事處的機關報《社會教育星期報》的主編，其身分與經歷，促使他將戲劇視爲落實社會教育的方法之一，專注於實踐。曾創作多齣新編戲劇，1921年出版的編劇理論專文《編戲贅言》，1924年出版了戲劇學專書《補庵談戲》。補庵是民初少見理論與創作並行的劇作家，他的時代正好歷經新興戲劇表演形式的盛衰發展及五四新文化運動。不放棄舊有的戲劇形式，努力思索如何對傳統戲劇藝術進行改革，採取“半新半舊派”的演出形式，並提出明確的戲劇觀及務實的編劇理論，這一嘗試歷程，别具時代意義。