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Zheng Chenggong (1624 - 1662) was sired by Chinese
merchant-pirate in Hirado, Japan. A general at the
end of the Chinese Ming
Dynasty, he was a prominent leader of the movement
opposing the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and in recovering
Taiwan from Dutch colonial occupation in 1661.
Honored as a hero in Japan, China, and Taiwan, he
has been dramatized in many plays in various theatre
forms in Japan (since about 1700), China (since
1906), and Taiwan (since the 1920s). Yet his
portrayals in these plays are drastically different,
depending on the dramatists intention of writing,
view of history, and artistic tools. This book, in
order to demonstrate the cultural and political
construction of this historical figure, examines the
history of the dramatization of Zheng, by comparing
selected texts from Japan, China, and Taiwan,
written between 1700 and the 1960s, with regard to
the historical contexts.
About the author
Chong Wang has received his M.A. in Theatre from the University
of Hawaii at Manoa. He is currently based in Beijing, doing
research and directing experimental performances. Mr. Wang is
also an award-winning translator. His email address:
hanenaka@hotmail.com.
