Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

A Comprehensive Review of Research Literature on the Development of Children’s Drama in China -Using the Example of the Play Malanhua

Jingyao WangHangzhou Normal University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Children’s theater plays a significant role in the cultural landscape of theater and has a major impact on children’s education. In this study, the author uses a literature review method, focusing on the play Malanhua, to review the research progress in Chinese children’s theater, specifically in terms of script content, themes and so on. The research results on the innovation and development of stage design, characterization, and main theme of Chinese children’s theatre represented by Malanhua are summarized and concluded. With the changes in the times and the evolving societal needs, the perspective on children has also changed. Starting from the deep influence of political ideologies in the 1950s and 1960s to a return to nature in the 1980s, and then to catering to the market in the new century, these shifts have influenced the tendencies in character development, themes, script content and stage design in children’s theater. However, there are some tendencies that have remained constant, such as the increasingly successful fusion of Chinese traditional culture and Western culture in stage design, the understanding of the characters by the director and scriptwriter deepens in terms of character development, and the close connection between purpose and societal needs. Eventually, it was pointed out that deficiencies and limitations of research on children’s theater in China, like the lack of theoretical construction in children’s drama, the weak foundation of the history of children’s theater in China and so on.

Keywords: Children’s view; China children’s theater; Malanhua
Published: November 20, 2023
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/14/20230513
Volume: CHR Vol.14
pp. 329-334
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