Features of Chinese Acting Which Draw Hilarity Mr, George Kin Leung, the critic of Ghinese drama, repeated by popular request his address—Notes on Comedians of the Chinese Stage"—which he had delivered at the American School fon Feburary 1, 1927. As usual, the speaker, who said that he felt most at home with this particular audience, was enthusiastically received.
After discussing briefly certain, historical points and commenting on the characteristics of the Peking drama, Mr. Leung said:
Before touching upon the types of comedians, a brief consideration of singing and declamation will be given. By ordinary comedians, singing of the simplest kind is done, A common manner of winning approval from the audience is, while singing, to cut off abruptly a word, because of fear, disgust, lack of breath, and s9 0 fand later to pick up the same word and continue the song. Of exceed: ing importance is declamation, for it's the clarity of enunciation that conveys to spectators the full meaning of a gag' or witticism.
Also since a cl'on is permitted to what, and as much as, he pleases, is, by necessity, a'master of beinges becoming homeless in onder that his dead body might be carried over an imperial highway. He is said to have called on Mayor Liu and to have read a riot act to him.
(Incidentally, the mayor remains in Peking on 'a protracted honeymoon), Now, he is demanding accounts and explanations which cannot be given. For one thing, there is the current report that the Mayor garnered all hired cars in Nanking on his wedding day for free transportation for his guests—and the owner of the cars provided the free service, Facts or Talk?
In. all this, General Feng seems to be getting down to bedrock, namely, that while there is s0 much vapourizing on high principles and rear potentialities, the people of China are starving, are living under famine conditions, are being driven to banditry, are being left centuries behind' in economic development. And the great men of Nanking do nothing.
In an interview with a Chinese! friend of mine, he recently pointed Julean Arnold's charta which hang on his wall, Only in peanuts and rice does China excel produetion. Is China to be nothing more than that?—was the text of his conversation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.