Recent research has uncovered the rich mix of writers, artists and intellectuals who were living in Britain before the Second World War. For most intellectuals raised in the Confucian tradition, their artistic pursuits were a private matter – few would consider art as a profession. For example, Grace Lau describes her father’s pursuit of calligraphy every evening.
Photo of Ho Tze Ko doing his calligraphy courtesy of Grace Lau
But Anna Chen speaks to historical researcher Diana Yeh of the University of East London about two of the earliest British Chinese to break the mould and make their mark on the British public. Chiang Yee’s enormously popular Silent Traveller books in London, Oxford, Edinburgh and the Lakelands cast a humorous Chinese gaze on British life. His friend Hsiung Shih-I became the first Chinese to write and direct a West End play with his 1935 adaptation of the popular Chinese story Lady Precious Stream which ran for 1000 nights in London to glowing reviews, was revived several times during the war and soon became a staple of repertory and school productions.
Playwright S.I.Hsiung and below, pictured with
his friend George Bernard Shaw and others.
L to R: S. I. Hsiung, director Gabriel Pascal (?), George Bernard Shaw, actress Wendy Hiller. (1941 or '42?)
From The First European Production of "Lady Precious Stream” at the Little Theatre in 1934. Roger Livesey played the Prime Minister's Gardener and Maisie Durrell played Lady Precious Stream
Playwright S.I.Hsiung 1935
L to R: Paul Robeson, Anna May Wong, Mrs Robeson (?), S I Hsiung, Mei Lan-fang (the famous Peking Opera female impersonator), Wang Shiao-lou (Peking Opera actor/producer (1935?)
Further reading
The Silent Traveller in London, Chiang Yee, 1938 (reprinted 2002 Signal Press) The Silent Traveller in Oxford, Chiang Yee,1944 (reprinted 2003 Signal Books) Lady Precious Stream, S.I.Hsiung,1935 (Samuel French Inc)
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YOUR COMMENTS
Listening to this particular episode brought back memories of being left at home with my grandmother with mumps whilst the rest of my family, cousins and family friends went off to be extras on the set of The Inn of Sixth Happiness. The family background is Eurasian (colonial Portuguese from Macau) and my parents had immigrated to London after the war. I think we were the smallest minority group in London at the time, numbering about a dozen. At school, we were always expected to turn up in our Chinese silk jackets for the annual Christmas tablaux. My parents have very fond memories of the way they were received here in 1949. Bernadette d'Almeida
I have thoroughly enjoyed all five of the episodes I have heard, particularly this one, because I know and love the play Lady Precious Stream and particularly Thursday's about Chinese actors in Britain. It's been a most interesting and informative series, very well produced. Carol Allen
