Ibsen and Dolls house

Chinese intellectuals introduced western drama to the country for a definitely pragmatic purpose. The proponents of May the Fourth New Drama showed special interest in Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. New Youth once published a special edition on Ibsen. In addition, Hu Shi introduced and praised very highly "Ibsenism". Even some young men who were determined to produce modern Chinese dramatic works, for example, Hong Shen and Tian Han, took it as their life goal to be "Ibsen of China".

Why should Chinese dramatists attach so much importance to Ibsen? Lu Xun, a famous modern Chinese writer said, "Why should we single out Ibsen? Because we want to construct a new western drama and uplift it to the height of authentic literature by adopting colloquialism in prose-drama. In addition, as time is pressing, we have to use practical examples to stimulate the intellectuals throughout the country, which is quite proper. However, in my opinion, another major reason is that Ibsen dares to attack the society and the majority of the people. Those people who introduced his works might have shared the loneliness they experienced of being besieged in an old citadel". This pointed out why Ibsen was so popular then in China.

At the time, what touched most the hearts of Chinese people, especially the youth, was A Doll's House. In the play, Nara, the heroine, after a domestic incident, saw through her husband's mask and realized that she was playing a role of doll in her family. Finally, she asserted seriously that "I am a person" before leaving the home resolutely. This exerted great influence on many Chinese people who were still at the mercy of arranged marriage. Nara, therefore, became their idol.

Under the influence of A Doll's House, Hu Shi took the lead by coming out with One Thing That Matters for a Life. Soon after, Ouyang Yuqian's Shrew, Xiong Foxi's A New Couple's Life, Guo Moruo's Zhuo Wenjun and Bai Wei's Breaking Out of Spirit Tower also depicted a group of elopers. These plays were grouped as "Nara Plays". They not only symbolize and reflect the characters' pursuit for independent personality and personal liberation but also exhibit the realistic features of those dramatic works produced in the initial period of May the Fourth drama.

Hu Shi pointed out that Ibsen's plays are "nothing but realism". For Chinese literati, the final purpose of describing the human and social realities was to awaken the numbed people and call on them to transform the irrational society. Thus, plays "for the life" were popular for a time. By that time, realism had been established as a new dramatic view.