“For the Face of Mr. Chiang”

In 1943， soon after he became presi- dent of National Central University（today’s Nanjing University）， Chiang Kai-shek， then leader of the Kuomintang， invited three prestigious professors from the university’s Department of Chinese Language and Literature to a Spring Festival banquet. The invitation embarrassed the professors， who spent an afternoon discussing whether they should accept to save Chiang “face.” Decades lat-er， during the “cultural revolution” （1966-1976）， the same professors were required to confess whether they accepted Chiang’s invitation. The truth was tough to find after so many years. This is the plot of For the Face of Mr. Chiang， a play produced by teachers and students of Nanjing University. The War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the “cultural revolution”were two of the roughest periods for contemporary Chinese intellectuals. How did the three professors with varying political ideologies treat the invitation from a dictator such as Chiang Kai-shek， and how did they stick to their political ideals and moral principles in the chaotic period of “cultural revolution”？

The drama sparked heated debate among Chinese micro-bloggers about moral integrity and weaknesses of intellectuals. The play’s director， Lu Xiaoping， is vice dean of the School of Humanities and head of the Department of Theater， Movie and Television of Nanjing University. The playwright， Wen Fangyi， is a junior in the university’s School of Humanities. The drama premiered in May of last year， and by mid-December 2012， it had been per- formed 31 times at the university and seen by more than 20，000. The drama has since moved beyond the campus.

From every perspective， the production is considered miraculous. A college junior born in the 1990s， its playwright deftly depicts the complicated struggles of professors seven decades ago. Director Lu， who has denounced the country’s drama production system， has now received high recognition from the same authorities he criticized. At the end of last year， the Publicity Department of the Provincial Party Committee of Jiangsu booked three days of performances of the drama， and the head of the department even watched it personally.

Intellectuals of the 1940s

From 1943 to 1944， Chiang Kai-shek served as president of today’s Nanjing University. The drama is based on an unconfirmed story that has bounced around the university： Chiang probably invited three professors from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature for dinner before he took office as the university’s president in 1943.

Wen Fangyi received an “assignment”from Director Lu to write a story depicting how the three professors might debate accepting Chiang’s invitation based on the one-sentence rumor. In order to examine the environment and spiritual world of Chinese intellectuals in that era， she then dug through many historical records and documents， such as The History of the United University in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression， Professors of the United University， and diaries of famous contemporary Chinese scholars such as Wu Mi and Zhu Ziqing. Her efforts were ultimately rewarded， and she obtained deep insight into the historical background.

“It was a depressing time，” Wen sighs.“In the early days of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression， Chinese intellectuals displayed tremendous enthu-siasm in the campaign against the invaders. After the United States entered World War II in 1941， the international situation changed and the Kuomintang government shifted its focus to suppressing domestic dissent， resulting in a repressive social atmosphere. Meanwhile， the Chinese public was plagued by surging prices due to precipitous inflation. In these circumstances， many intellectuals and students became depressed and confused.”

The play is set in two separate historical periods： World War II and the “cultural revolution.” In 1943， the three professors showed distinctive personalities ripe with profound wisdom of the era. However， they became nervous and bowed to authority during the “cultural revolution，” and became eager to prove their loyalty by insisting “Chiang should die.”

Some critics have compared the drama to British playwright Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen （1998）. That play has only three characters， but garnered immense acclaim in Western theatrical circles. Similarly， the three professors in For the Face of Mr. Chiang， Shi Rendao， Bian Congzhou， and Xia Xiaoshan， also rush explanations about Chiang’s invitation during the 1943 Spring Festival to defend themselves.

In the eyes of Director Lu， the value of the drama lies in the absurdity of mankind recounted in the story. “All good plays try to showcase the baseline of morality and examine puzzles of humanity，” he illustrates. “The reason For the Face of Mr. Chiang is so popular isn’t the tragedy of the war and ‘cultural revolution，’ but the eternal tragic and comedic characteristics of humanity， and humility we all feel.”

A Young Girl’s Chinese Story

It’s hard to believe that such a meaningful drama was penned by a young girl born in the 1990s. As one professional critic raved， “No other play in recent years has depicted a Chinese story with such profound cultural and philosophical insight as this drama.”

The playwright， Wen Fangyi， is a native of Nanjing. In addition to her continuing studies in the Department of Theater， Movie and Television， she also plays the wife of Shi Rendao in the play. The character is an ordinary Chinese woman who cares about living with dignity and protecting her husband.

The university’s tradition of freedom has deeply influenced young people like Wen. When the box office opened， even the university’s leaders weren’t given free admission. “This explains why Nanjing University could produce such a drama，”Director Lu declares.

On November 25， 2012， Professor Dong Jian from Nanjing University and his wife watched For the Face of Mr. Chiang for the second time. Professor Dong， 76， first enrolled in Nanjing University in 1957. Since then， he has continuously studied and worked there. Playwright Wen once consulted Professor Dong with some questions while writing the play. “I suggested she compare old-time scholars with today’s intellectuals who suffer from spiritual confusion.” Professor Dong seems to care more about the spiritual state of current Chinese universities and intellectuals.

However， as a student of Nanjing University known for its tradition of freedom， Wen wanted to address the eternal spiritual predicament of intellectuals： They desire freedom and independence， but also need to put food on the table； they have a strong sense of responsibility to society， yet distance themselves from politics and authority. “Such contradictions have little to do with the era，” Wen adds， “because the concepts are eternal.”