西方在华侨民演剧之发端及对晚清“曲界革命”的先导作用——英属东印度公司在中国澳门的演剧活动之考证与研究意义

The Beginning of Western Expatriate Theatre in China and Its Pioneering Role in Late Qing Dynasty Innovation of Chinese Opera

在“中国现代戏剧之发生”的大叙事中,学界通常聚焦于由“春柳社”所开启的受日本“新派剧”和“新剧”的影响路径,而较少关注在此之前由西方侨民从殖民母国直接传入的西洋戏剧。此外,学界过往对于西方在华侨民演剧的史料考证和学术研究,基本上聚焦于鸦片战争之后发生于上海、广州等中国沿海通商口岸的西方侨民演剧活动。但近年来挖掘的新史料则佐证,在鸦片战争之前以英属东印度公司为主体的居澳西侨就已经开展了丰富的演剧活动,鸦片战争之后,随着中国沿海通商口岸的开放,以英美侨民为主体的西方侨民则把演剧活动和所表演的西方近代戏剧带入这些地方。这为西方近代戏剧在中国的引入和接受奠定了基础,并为其后中国近代戏剧的发生开辟了道路,成为晚清之际中国引入西方近代戏剧进行传统戏剧革新的先导。

In the grand narrative of the emergence of modern Chinese drama,academia often focuses on the in-fluence path opened by the“Spring Willow Society,”which was influenced by Japanese“Shingeki”and“New Drama”movements.Less attention has been paid to the Western drama directly introduced by West-ern expatriates from their colonial motherlands before this period.Furthermore,previous historical studies and academic researches on Western expatriate performers and performances in China mainly focus on treaty ports established after the Opium War such as Shanghai,Guangzhou.Recent discoveries reveal that the Western expatriates,primarily from the East India Company,had already conducted theatrical perfor-mances in Macao China before the Opium War,foreshadowing the introduction and acceptance of modern West-ern drama in China.After the Opium War,with the opening of coastal trading ports in China,Western ex-patriates,mainly from Britain and America,introduced drama activities and Western modern dramas to these regions.This introduction of modern Western drama and the innovation of Chinese opera in the Late Qing Dynasty heralds the birth of modern Chinese drama.