Chinese Experimental Theatre from a Cross-Cultural Perspective – taking Meng Jinghui’s The Story of a Disembodied Soul and Accidental Death of an Anarchist as examples

School of Literature, Wuhan University, 430072 Hubei, China

^* Corresponding author: 2024301111009@whu.edu.cn

Abstract

In the 1990s, China underwent a period of rapid transformation. With the influx of various Western cultural trends, Chinese experimental theatre continuously expanded its artistic expressions. This study focuses on two representative works by Meng Jinghui, a leading figure in the field, employing methods such as textual analysis and comparative analysis to explore the development of Chinese experimental theatre within a cross-cultural context. The study finds that Meng Jinghui, building on his study of Western theatrical concepts, has developed a highly personal style of “People’s Theatre” through the localized practice of postmodernist theatrical techniques such as parody, collage, and breaking the fourth wall. However, at present, Chinese cross-cultural experimental theatre also faces challenges such as the imbalance of “intersubjectivity” in the postcolonial era and the prominent contradiction between avant-garde and popular appeal. The study indicates that Meng Jinghui’s theatre has played a pivotal leading role in the development of Chinese theatre, and it also suggests that the future development of Chinese cross-cultural experimental theatre should strive to strengthen “intersubjectivity” and reclaim the “avant-garde spirit.”