The League of Chinese Left-Wing
Dramatists was founded in Shanghai at the end of 1930 (or January 1931). Under the support and guidance
of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the league launched a large-scale
dramatic movement in association with the main dramatic organizations and
progressive dramatists.
Then it set up branches in Peking, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing and established dramatic groups in
Qingdao, Hangzhou and Tianjin. These branches and groups summoned
and encouraged local dramatists to write a great number of realistic plays to
publicize the importance of fighting the Japanese invaders and saving the
nation. This played an important role in promoting and guiding the
popularization of modern drama.
The League of Chinese Left-Wing Dramatists
organized over 50 troupes, which went deep into factories, plants and schools,
and performed a fair number of plays. In 1933, at the second anniversary of
September 18 Inccident, the League of Chinese Left-Wing Dramatists organized a
performance of Roar, China in an attempt to fully arouse the
revolutionary fervor and influence the Chinese society with a foreign
story.
During the six years of operation, the
League supported the revolutionary career of the CPC, and also fostered a fair
number of fine dramatists, who became the precursors of modern Chinese drama,
such as Xia Yan, Zhang Min, Song Zhidi, etc.
The League of Chinese Left-Wing Dramatists
was dissolved in early 1936.