Introduction to Thunderstorm:
In two scenes, the plot of the play unfolded in less than 24 hours, which reflected the feud between Zhou and Lu families for 30 years.
Thirty years ago, Zhou Puyuan, the husband of Wuxi Zhougongguan, took a fancy to Shi Ping, the daughter of maid Ma Mei, and gave birth to two sons with her. The second son was born only three days ago. In order to marry a rich and powerful young lady, Zhou Puyuan drove Shi Ping out of the house with her newborn and dying child. Shi Ping was desperate and committed suicide by jumping into the river, but was rescued. From then on, she lived in exile, and finally married Gui Lu with her son, gave birth to her daughter Sifeng, and named her son Lu Dahai.
Thirty years later, Zhou and Lu moved to a city in the north. Shi Ping works in other places and works as a manager in Zhoujia. Later, she introduced her daughter Sifeng to Zhou's mansion as a maid, while Lu Dahai worked as a miner in a mine.
After Zhou Puyuan's rich and well-connected wife died, she married Fan Yi and gave birth to her son Zhou Chong. His eldest son Zhou Ping is Shi Ping's first child. He is only six or seven years younger than his stepmother Fan Yi.
About the author:
Cao Yu (19 10 ~ 1996), formerly known as Wan Jiabao, was born in Qianjiang County, Hubei Province, and his ancestral home was in Tianjin. 1922 entered Nankai Middle School, 1925 joined Nankai New Troupe. He has performed plays such as A Doll's House and Public Enemy, and has also adapted and performed plays such as Money Madness and Power Fight. His stage practice has added rich experience to his drama creation. From 65438 to 0928, Cao Yu was promoted to the Political Department of Nankai University, and from 65438 to 0930, he transferred to the Western Literature Department of Tsinghua University. During this period, he read the English version of Ibsen's Complete Works, and also learned more western European classical dramas and modern dramas. 1933, Cao Yu completed his first novel Thunderstorm, which was published in Literature Quarterly in 1934 and was warmly welcomed after its premiere in 1935. 1936 created Sunrise, which established Cao Yu's position in the history of China drama. Later, he wrote plays such as Yuan Ye and Beijingers, Clear Wan Li, Sword of the Brave, Wang Zhaojun, etc. After the founding of New China, Cao Yu successively served as Dean of Beijing People's Arts, Secretary of the Writers Association Secretariat, Honorary Dean of the Central Academy of Drama and Chairman of the Chinese Dramatists Association.
Evaluation:
Thunderstorm, written by playwright Cao Yu, shows a great tragedy of life and is a cruel trick of fate on people. Thunderstorm is "the cornerstone of China's drama realism". Out of an "urgent need for emotion" and "looking down on the people in this land with a feeling of compassion", the author analyzes the deep evils of society and history through two families who are inextricably linked in ethical blood.