The vogue for English versions of Chinese plays has been stimulated by the success of "Lady" Precious Stream" "and Mr. Yao Hsin-nung makes an opportune contribution in translating one of the favourites of the Peking repertoire, "The Right 10 KGL" This play, the translator states, has been performed on the Chinese stage for at least 125 years and yet it retains its freshness because the spirit of revolt which it Fepresents carries an appeal independent of the story and the stage technique. For those who do not remember the plot it may be well to give a brief summary. Hsia En, who also comes into the novel translated by Mrs. Pearl Buck as "All Men Are Brothers", is a sherman living on the margin of subsistence with his daughter. Unable fo pay the illegal fishing tax, he is arrested by the armed guards of the local official. They pay no heed to his financial difficulties and he is forced to resist their attempt to arrest him, but without success, Sentenced to 40 strokes of the bamboo by the magistrate and ordered to make an apology to the head official, he becomes deserate and invokes the right to kill with disastrous results, including the massacre of the whole family of the tyrant. The translator replies to the imaginary objection that the theme may be unnecessarily brutal to the Western playgoer and may seem in fact contrary to the Chinese ideal of moderation, and he urges that Hsiao En Is fully justified in the of the Chinese social For. the family-minded Chinese for seo the individual as a social unit, 'They see society as a congregation of families, and the individual as a mere currant' ina family' dumpling. the conversation of two Chinese, a third person is frequently referred to a certain chi alt (or "family's inmate"), such as Wang chia, or as hiahuo '(or member of a. certain {family's mess)" ina contemptuous genre. And in old China, if a man Was found guilty of a grave offence against the State, his family members Were obliged to share his punishment. Since such was recognized as justice, oF fair pay 4 whole family was Fealy nothing'
The translation has been competently done and the play consists of three
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.