Chinese History Reimagined: Li Jing’s 𝑀𝑟 𝐿𝑢 𝑋𝑢𝑛 (2015)
Introduction and Translation by Andreea Chirita
Mr Lu Xun (大先生, 2015) is Li Jing’s (李静) first historical drama, published by China Literature and History Press (中国文史出版社). For this work, she was awarded the prestigious Lao She Literary Prize in 2016, the highest honour for drama in China. After meeting avant-garde director Lin Zhaohua (林兆华), who encouraged her to write a play about Lu Xun—China’s most prominent intellectual and literary figure of the modern era—Li Jing embarked on a creative journey that took nearly four years to complete.
The monumental historical significance of Lu Xun was daunting for the playwright, and her colleagues warned her that “no writer has ever succeeded in doing him justice.” However, Li Jing’s curiosity, dedication, and immense talent enabled her to craft a compelling portrayal of this literary and ideological giant. Drawing on New Historicism, a theoretical framework that gained traction in China at the end of the twentieth century, she sought to reimagine Lu Xun outside his traditional role as a revolutionary national hero. Instead, she imbued him with humanity, vulnerability, and psychological depth.
Xiao Zhenya (肖振亚), Liu Enbin (刘恩斌), “Take over the brush of polemics, struggle to the end” (接过战笔战斗到底), 1975.
Mr Lu Xun begins with the moment of Lu Xun’s death in 1936, when Skinny and Fatty—two comedic characters reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy—descend from Heaven to separate his body from his soul. This premise sets the stage for a retrospective journey through his life, marked by family drama, ideological conflicts with left-wing contemporaries, and revolutionary ideals, before moving into the future, where he is “forced” to confront the legacy of his intellectual contributions.
In a narrative framework based on the flow of consciousness, Li Jing allows Lu Xun to traverse time, inviting the audience to look beyond the mythos surrounding him as a national hero. Over nearly a century of Chinese history, Lu Xun reflects on the dialogue between China’s past and present, ultimately re-calibrating his views on fundamental themes such as freedom, love, equality, and revolution.
Li Jing describes her play as “a one-act non-historical drama” (无场次非历史剧)—a fictional reimagining of history that speaks candidly to the present. The selected fragments in this rendition come from the play’s conclusion, just before Lu Xun completes his revelatory time-travel experience. Here, a fragile and uncertain “hero” confronts a range of symbolic characters embodying contemporary moral failings: the Man with a Whip (representing oppressive authority), the Poet, the Judge, the Politician, and the Economist (as shallow intellectuals), as well as Lu Xun’s own fictional creations, such as Ah Q. These figures all serve as allegories for social ills.
Through this extraordinary saga, which spans pivotal moments in Chinese history, Lu Xun gains clarity about his ideological and spiritual beliefs, ultimately defining the legacy he wishes to leave for “the children of the future.”
Mr Lu Xun [a fragment]
THE POET: Well, I just wrote a poem celebrating the mutual, harmonious coexistence between the master and the gentlemen here (gesturing toward Ah Q). It’s called “Ode to My Brothers.”
(He pauses, waiting for the audience to urge him to recite it. When no reaction comes, he continues, slightly embarrassed.)
Then, let me share a couple of lines with you:
“Oh, brother, though your face may appear grim, your heart gleams like gold.
Your younger brother grew up and matured under the sting of your whip.
As the whip struck his body, a deep scar was etched into your heart.
Oh, young brother, envy not your elder brother’s wealth;
all it takes is a shift in perspective.
Oh, elder brother, shed no tears for your younger brother;
don’t we all struggle through life, after all?”
THE SCHOLARS: Amazing poem, absolutely amazing!
THE MAN WITH A WHIP (Stops whipping, pulls out a purse and a laurel wreath.)
Amazing poem. I nominate you for the Best Poet Prize. Take your reward and go!
(The Poet stands, bows to the Man with a Whip, takes the purse, and bows again, even more deeply. The crowd claps and cheers. The Fashionable Young Man joins the applause, as he sees Lu Xun awakening from his hypnotic trance. Meanwhile, the Young Actress remains in a state of hypnosis. Lu Xun’s gaze falls on the four award certificates and is filled with anger and shame; he wants to tear them up, but his hands can’t reach them.)
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: The teachers are all exhausted. Let’s have a quick meal. Ah Q, How old is your son?
Ah Q: Three months.
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Three months! Really tender. Look, young man, we are all hungry here. The teachers have never tasted freshly steamed infants before… Would you share some? It’d be an excellent opportunity for you to earn your freedom!
Ah Q: No!...
THE MAN WITH A WHIP (surprised): You dare say “No”? (Addressing the scholars): He dares to say “No”! (The crowd laughs; he beats him with the whip.) You’re playing with fire! Do you want to stay alive? Or did you think that one cannot die in Heaven? (Although tempted, Ah Q does not move.) Or perhaps you’d prefer to return to the human world and be reborn in a good family?
Ah Q: Reborn?
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Oh, yes, reborn, splendidly happy, glorious and rich!
Ah Q: Master, in this case, let me get my son… (The actress is led in by Wang Huxiao D. Lu Xun, the young man in black, and the Tin Man push open the glass door and escape.)
LU XUN, THE YOUNG MAN IN BLACK, THE TIN MAN (to Ah Q): Freeze! (The crowd is taken aback. All three men untie Ah Q’s rope.)
THE SCHOLARS (casually conversing): Hey, you—freeze! Hands up! What do you think you’re doing? Have you even considered the consequences? Don’t disrupt social stability! Do you think that if you set him free, he won’t value my offer anymore? Who do you think you are? What did your leaders teach you?
(The crowd gathers around the three.)
LU XUN: Don’t ask us who we are. You’d better think more carefully about who you are!
(Looks at them, recognizing them as revolutionary youth he has seen before.)
You look familiar, comrades—you really look familiar to me...
YOUNG MAN IN BLACK: You! The boss of this flock of sheep—all of them slaves!
THE TIN MAN (Hurt, speaking in a hoarse voice.): You, spineless dirty dog…
(The man with a whip waves his hands. Amid the uproar, another group of ghosts emerges on stage and seizes Lu Xun, the Young Man in Black, and the Tin Man. The Man with a Whip orders the ghost crowd to take away the Young Man in Black and the Tin Man. Only Lu Xun, the Man with a Whip, and the School Inspector remain on stage.)
THE MAN WITH A WHIP (Zealously invites Lu Xun to sit.): Mr Lu Xun, my apologies for snubbing you. I let your shadow occupy your seat. I never imagined that it could be so naughty. But honestly, that’s actually for the best.
THE SCHOOL INSPECTOR: Dare to run away, and you’ll regret it.
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Do you really think that by showing yourself to those pathetic worms, you’ll do them any good? Oh no, not at all. On the contrary, it only makes things worse. You’ll just confuse them further. Your presence won’t improve their lives in the slightest! Because you don’t have the power to help them. I do. I just don’t want to!
(Looks at Lu Xun provocatively.) Why should I let them have better lives? Good is scarce—there’s only so much of it in the Universe. If their good increases, doesn’t that mean mine will diminish? They’ll love themselves more and love me less. Fill their cups, and my own runs dry. Should I let that happen?
Is it normal to treat your protector—your reborn parents, your reincarnated mother and father—this way? Oh no! They need to be grateful to me, to obey me.
If I hadn’t cared for their miserable souls, like tending to a pack of stray dogs, they would’ve long disappeared into the chaos of scattered, unknown graves. They should be thankful they can still breathe and live. They shouldn’t push their luck any further!
No more living like kings! No more fantasy worlds! They cannot bite the hand that feeds them.
Am I right? Tell me, gentlemen!
SCHOOL INSPECTOR: Totally!
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Well? Mr Lu Xun? Any objections?
(Not waiting for a response.) Oh, no! Of course not!
The real skill is knowing how this world works—that’s what makes you a hero. But let’s not pretend you’re perfect either. You were both promiscuous and treacherous—toward your wife and toward your revolutionary credo.
You wrote beautiful promises, only to break them with your own hands. You declared to everyone that you’d repay your wife for her lifetime of sacrifice, promising to settle a 4,000 debt. And what did you do instead? While your readers were still wiping their tears, moved by the story, you married that adorable schoolgirl and left your wife to be cared for by your ageing mother.
You said you’d listen to the revolutionaries, help them carry forward their beliefs. And what did you do instead? No sooner had they bowed to you—before they could even straighten up again—than you started spouting about individualism, sowing division among them while the reactionaries looked on and laughed.
With a record like that, who are you to contradict me?
Let me tell you plainly: we are two sides of the same coin. Neither of us is in a position to despise the other.
THE SCHOOL INSPECTOR: You esteem him too highly.
THE MAN WITH A WHIP (Looking at him): So, Mr Lu Xun? Am I making any sense to you?
LU XUN: What you’ve described is my life in a nutshell.
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Thank you for the acknowledgment. If I were to reveal even a tiny bit of all this, your revered icon status in Heaven would shatter in the blink of an eye.
LU XUN: No, don’t do that…
THE INSPECTOR: Well, well, well, scared at last!
THE MAN WITH A WHIP (to the Inspector): The gentleman isn’t afraid. He’s just brave enough to self-examine and face who he truly is—unlike you, who are nothing but a coward.
(Turns away): Mr. Lu Xun, what do you think? This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
LU XUN: How could such a friendship begin?
(The Inspector pulls a disdainful face.)
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: We could become even closer friends, but only if you do one thing for me…
LU XUN: Let’s hear it.
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: It’s something very simple.
THE INSPECTOR: If it’s simple, I’ll do it!
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: You? Do you think the angry youth would even listen to you?
THE INSPECTOR: Oh, those angry youth are dead now. Just ignore them!
THE MAN WITH A WHIP (in a low voice): They are going to blow Heaven’s lid off!
(To Lu Xun): Gentleman, all you need to do is tell these crowds and everyone here one simple sentence: Believe me, this is real Heaven. Say that, and I’ll let everything slide. We’ll be fine.
LU XUN: “Believe me, this is real Heaven.”
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Very good.
LU XUN: Fine, but what’s so special about this sentence? I can say even more if you’d like.
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Really?
LU XUN: Really.
THE INSPECTOR: No wonder his name means “Lu-the-Fast-One”—he sells himself faster than anyone else.
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Right now?
LU XUN: Right now!
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Excellent! But keep this in mind: whatever you say here will be seen and heard by all the citizens in Heaven. If your words and actions don’t help us become better friends, you won’t walk out of that door. Understood?
LU XUN: Understood.
THE INSPECTOR: Oh, he just wants to take the spotlight.
THE MAN WITH A WHIP: Just take your time. Mr Lu Xun. We won’t bother you anymore. See you later! (The Man with a Whip and the Inspector both exit the stage.)
LU XUN (Pauses briefly, then addresses the audience): “Believe me, this is Heaven.” If anyone says this to you, don’t believe it—no matter who they are, even if it’s me. On the contrary, that’s a sign you’ve entered the worst of Hells. You’ve lost your ability to doubt it simply because it’s called Heaven. You’ve lost your ability to resist it simply because it’s supposed to be Heaven.
I used to dream of Heaven once, a place where tears and pain are soothed. It was in the name of this dream that I made a naïve promise—to sacrifice my own freedom. But I cannot keep making that sacrifice forever, because the instinct for freedom rose within me. I don’t regret it. If I regret anything, it’s that I ever believed sacrificing freedom could lead to the fruits of freedom. I once thought people could do whatever they wanted, without restraint, and become their own gods.
But that kind of thinking only empowers those who love thrones. In the name of marching toward Heaven, they did nothing but climb the throne of power, wiping the filth from their boots with blood and tears. Look me in the eyes! You’ve been fooled by their beautiful words. Never let their sins escape your sight. Never forgive them, never tolerate them—until they throw away their crowns and bow their heads.
Tolerance is the power of the strong. Memory and struggle are the weapons of the weak.
(He smiles.)
The door is closed forever. Now it’s just me. I have all the time in the world to think. It’s a new experience. My curiosity outweighed my fear. Now I can look into the empty mirror and examine myself. No, the mirror isn’t empty. I see you, and you, and everyone else.
I will always treasure you, Guangping. I will always be grateful to you, Mother, and forgive you. Ann, please forgive me! I will love you even more, my dear brother. I’ll miss you dearly, my old companions. And I will always place my hopes in you, children of the future.
(The light illuminates the heads of the ghosts and youth; the paper umbrella trembles.)
The world may descend into darkness, but for that very reason, you must let hope light your way. There’s no oxygen, no fuel—only yourselves. When you feel like you can’t face it anymore, look for the faintest glimmer of fire. That’s me, reminding you of one thing: It’s better to burn brightly like a torch to the very end than to be swallowed by the dark night. You may comfort others in their tears, but don’t surrender your freedom for their sake.
Throw away that sinful throne of power—(he struggles to grab and overthrow his chair)—but do not make excuses to climb back onto it. Children, remember! Remember my words!
(Lu Xun lights a fire. A huge burning chair appears on a screen, slowly turning to ashes. He stands motionless. Lights out.)
(The lights soften, creating a warm, homey atmosphere. A clock ticks. It shows the time: 5:25. Lu Xun lies breathless in the chair. Xu Guangping covers him with a white quilt and stares at him. Fatty and Skinny, dressed in left-wing youth clothing, walk along the edge of the stage, looking at him from afar and whispering to each other. Xu Guangping does not hear them
Fatty: How skinny he was!
Skinny: Indeed, nothing but a bag of bones.
Andreea Chiriță is a lecturer of Chinese Studies at the University of Bucharest and specialises in contemporary Chinese theatre.