Li Jiayao 
 
 
nature of content since content determines form and form serves 
content in all other genres of art. Nevertheless, this is in no way meant

to say that the pingtan pieces and Brecht's plays fully agree in the 
aspect of stressing the dialectics of content. Even in form, they are 
different in some ways. For instance, pingtan is not limited to one single

clue or thread of a story while being recounted; it provides several leads

for proceeding with the story. During a single performance, a pingtan 
actor can play several roles and assume several functions even as far 
as "to summon wind and rain and control the forces of nature" if
it is so 
desired by the plot. Pingtan's idea and way to give prominence to the 
entertainment value is not entirely the same as that of Brecht, and to a

still greater extent displays the local flavor and human interest 
particular to China. 
     That here we are making a comparison between China's pingtan and 
Brecht's theatre in terms of their commonness in formal dialectics is 
solely for the purpose of turning ideas alien to us into intimate ones in

the course of our attempt to understand this great German playwright. 
We think if we do not limit ourselves to viewing matters in one light, we

may find it interesting and beneficial to introduce Brecht to the Chinese

audience, make a study of his plays and produce them on the stage. 
And it will undoubtedly be equally interesting and beneficial if we let our

theatre personnel get hold of the characteristics of our own art and 
enhance our own value through such a way of learning from and 
understanding Brecht. Truly, Brecht said: "It is impossible to employ
a 
few technical terms and expressions to expound what a narrative drama 
is. Basically, it is perhaps due to the fact that a narrative drama 
stimulates the intellectual mind of the audience, rather than stirring up

their feelings." We presume his words equally apply to pingtan. 
     With a view to explaining the matter in a better and more graphic 
way, we would like to avail ourselves of this opportunity to show bits of

the pingtan art in the person of a famous pingtan actress of Shanghai - 
Jiang Yunxian, who is now among us today. She has found it a great 
pleasure to be able to attend this symposium, and I think she will also be

kind enough to demonstrate pingtan as an interlude during my talk. 
     Ms. Jiang is going to perform a section of a chapter of Tixiao 
 Yinyuan (A Predestined Relationship of Tears and Smiles), a long piece 
 adapted from the novel of the same title by Zhang Henshui. 
     The setting for the story was the square called Tian Qiao (Heaven's

 Bridge) in Beijing in the twenties when China was under the misrule of 
 various warlords. It was a center for trade, a marketplace pestered by 
 heavy traffic, and crowds of people gathered here to do business and 
 have a good time watching acrobatics, conjuring tricks and variety 
 shows. In the middle of this scene of hustle and bustle was an old 
 itinerant entertainer called Guan Shoufeng. With incomparable strength,

 he was superb in wushu (martial arts), able to manipulate nimbly heavy 
 stone discs (like the huge barbell for weightlifting) and a stone lock (in

 the shape of a Chinese lock but of tremendous weight for cultivating 
 strength). When two scoundrels, belittling street-performers, came over

 to humiliate Guan's pupils, the old man flew into a rage and by showing

 
 
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