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ABSTRACT
The Vagina Monologues, the world-famous feminist play, was introduced to China in 2003 and has been recreated and performed many times by young feminist activists with respect to Chinese women’s issues over the past 20 years. By demonstrating the special experiences and examples of different Chinese versions and performances of The Vagina Monologues in the 2010s, this article is an attempt to explore the indigenization process of the play in the Chinese context. First, it looks at its experimental performance for rural people in the village of Zhuhai; then it focuses on the emerging participation by several troupes of LGBT groups and other gender minorities; and last, it illustrates the social influence of ‘The Vagina Event’ online and feminist street action outside theaters and campuses. The article thereby argues that the performance of different local versions of The Vagina Monologues can be regarded as important in feminist activism in contemporary China.
ABSTRACT IN SIMPLIFIED CHINESE
2003年，世界著名的美国女性主义戏剧⟪阴道独白⟫被首次翻译成中文，并搬上了中国的舞台。此后，中国女性主义者们在过去的十几年中，根据中国妇女所面对的问题，多次将这一戏剧进行二次创作并表演。通过论述中国2010年代不同改编版本的⟪阴道独白⟫以及一些独特的表演经验，本文试图展示该戏剧在中国语境下的本土化过程。首先，文章例举了⟪阴道独白⟫下乡的经验，即在珠海的村庄与村民们合作的实验性表演；其次，亦将关注一些相关剧社中性少数群体的参与和演出；最后，阐释“我的阴道说”网络事件的社会影响，以及剧场和大学校园之外的女性主义街头表演行动。在此基础上，本文意图说明，对不同本土化版本的⟪阴道独白⟫的表演，可被视为当代中国语境下女性主义运动的重要组成部分。
Acknowledgement
This paper was first presented at the Korean Women's Institute International Workshop on “Asian Young Feminist Sexual Politics and the Possibilities of New Democracy” in November 2017 at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. I would like to express my appreciation to Ewha Womans University and the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia for providing a good platform for young feminists from different Asian countries to exchange experiences and ideas about the new wave of feminist activism. In addition, I would also like to thank all members from Shanquan Drama Society in Guangzhou who have undertaken the practice of feminist theater for years and shared their precious experiences with me.
Notes on contributor
ZHOU Shuyan is conducting her post-doctoral research at the School of Communication and Design, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou. She received her Ph.D. in Gender Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 2014, and worked as Research Associate at Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, CUHK, 2014-2016. Her research interests include subcultural studies, gender and media, women and religions. Email: [email protected]
Notes
1. In February 2004, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre had applied and gained permission for the V-day, but unfortunately, due to unknown reasons, the performance was banned by the police. Until 2009, Beijing Xinchuan Experimental Troupe (Beijing Xinchuan Shiyan Jutuan) conducted the official translated version of TVM in Beijing and Shanghai and later in Shenzhen, Changsha and Hangzhou. These were the most successful commercial performances of TVM in China.
2. These Chinese names aimed at connecting the play with Chinese culture, such as ‘Yindao Zhi Dao’ (The Vagina’s Tao, 2013) by the Bcome Troupe in Beijing; ‘Jiang Yindao Dubai Daodi’ (Make the Vagina Monologues to the End, 2013) by the GSEF Troupe in Guangzhou, which was a satirical version of the name of a famous Chinese TV Drama; and ‘Yindao Duoyun’ (Multi-speeches of the Vagina, 2012) by the Beaver Club Troupe in Shanghai, which could be read as ‘the weather from overcast to cloudy’ in Chinese as well. In some cases, the change in the play’s title was made in order to evade censorship.
3. For some professionals like government officials, inserting the ring was obligatory, although it did not actually figure in the nation’s family planning laws. In November 2015, the one-child policy was replaced by a two-children policy, in consideration of China’s aging population.