New-York tribune., 1912-07-14
PLAY HUNTING IN CHINA
Novel Trip of New York News
paper Man to Bag Ideas for
STAGE Use Here.

sthe preliminary work being carried on In
! preparation for the production Of THE
Daughter of Heaven" the modern Chinese
drama. by Pierre Lott and Judith Gautier,
which is to be staged in a spectacular
manner at the Century Theatre in the fall.
was the voyage to China undertaken in
behalf of the management by Haywood
Broun, q young American newspaper man.
MIR. Broun, who was on leave of absence
from The New-York Tribune, was equipped
with a special camera. manuscript OF the
play and a letter of credit, and was put
on a steamer to Shanghai, with carte
blanche to buy, borrow, sketch or photo
graph anything that might be OF service
in producing the play.
Mr. Broun has Just returned TO New York
after trip of more than fifteen thousand
miles, lasting some ten weeks. Most Of
this time was spent in Peking and Marking,
where the scenes of The Daughter Of
Heaven" are located. He arrived in Shang
hal on May 5. There he went directly to
Mr.. Dorsey, acting American Consul Cen
eral and with him laid out his plans for
getting the best results out OF the limited
time allotted him. His first week on Chi
nese soil was spent in Shanghai, acquaint-
ing himself with modern Chinese costumes,
customs, money and meals. Here also he
made thorough investigation of a man.
darin's garden, photographing the stunted
twisted trees so characteristic OF Chinese
landscape gardening, preserving specimens
Of the flowers and plants met with and of
materials used in building the many little
outhouses. Furthermore. in Shanghai he
made the acquaintance of the Princess Der
Ling, former chief lady-in-waiting TO the
late Dowager Empress. The princess is
now Mrs Thaddeus C. White. the wife of
an American, who is Land Commissioner
at Shanghai
The princess was very much interested in
Mr.. Brouns mission TO China. and the lat
ter had no difficulty whatsoever in per-
suading her to write out for him detailed
description of all the important rituals and
ceremonials practised in the court at Pc
king during the Manchu Empire.
In Shanghai Mr.. Broun first made the &C
Quaintance OF the Chinese theatre, which
was later to aid him greatly in his work OF
research. Shanghai Is TO a great extent
under the influence of the foreigner. and
the visiting American found TO his surprise
that Chinese versions Of Uncle Toms
Cabin" and Camille" had been among the
recent bills at the native theatre.
Another interesting experience was
''run-in" with a queue cutting party. The
Chinaman's queue is a badge of servitude,
imposed upon him by the Tartar, or Man
chu. invader when the Ming, or native, dy-
nasty was overthrown 25O years ago. AS soon
as the revolution was declared successful
every patriotic Chinaman made haste 10
lid himself of his queue. Those that did
not do so were in danger Of having it
Topped Off by the first revolutionary soldier
he met. In Shanghai the revolutionary zeal
was great. and rewards were offered for
the greatest number of queues TO be gath
cred in a days work. Brouns ricksha man
took pride in his headdress, and had folded
his queue neatly under a large hat But as
the man was trotting along with Mr..
Broun's ricksha party Of soldiers swooped
upon him, seized his man, bound him and
snapped off his queue.
In Peking the travellers experiences were
more thrilling still He found the city on
the verge of an anti-foreign uprising. The
streets leading to the legations were bar
ricaded with sandbags and heavily garri-
soned with foreign troops, including our
own. His Investigations were constantly
interrupted by challenging from sentres
and accompanied by the sound of rife fire
from those sections Of the city where riot
ing was in progress. He was physically
safe, however as so great was mis- zeal in
purchasing from street vendors, the sym
bols and paraphernala OF their trade that
he was set down by the natives as a mad
man, and the mad, among the Chinese as
with many other Oriental races, are looked
Upon with a sort of veneraton.
''The Daughter of Heaven" had as its
primary inspiration the tradition cherished
by the patriotic Chinaman through CEN
turies of Manchu rule that in some obscure
corner of China the conquered Mings had
preserved their dynasty and still held court
in secret, and il was part of Mr.. Broun' S
duty to discover what trace, If any, still
remained OF the Mngs He found what was
wanted In an unexpected quarter-the thea
tire. 1t is Mr.. Brouns opinion that in per-
mitting the Chinese theatre TO retain their
ancient Ming dramas the Manchus made
the fatal mistake that cost them Their
supremacy. II was from the theatre that
the watchword of the revolution, Down
with the Manchu!" spread And It was in
the dressing room of the theatre that Mr.
Broun was able TO purchase accurate re-
productions of Ming costumes OF all sorts,
from emperor TO beggarman, which will be
used as models in designing and executing
the costumes for the forthcoming produc-
ton.
In Peking also Mr. Broun inspected thor
oughly the imperial palaces 10 which he
was given free access by the new govern
Iment He met numerous dignitaries Of the
new regime. including b. G. Wan, who.
1T is believed. will be the chief candidate
for the position of ambassador to this coun-
jtry and who entertained the American at
dinner. singing Good Night, Ladies' and
lseyeral other American college songs with
great vim when the cigars and lqueurs
were being served
Mr.. Broun spent the last week Of his So
journ in China in the city Of Marking, the
IIocale OF the first two acts of The Daugh-
ter of Heaven" which of all the cities VS.
lited seemed to have the most modern as
lpect Save that they preferred to wear
levcning clothes at the MONDAY meal and
isack suits at night the gentlemen Of the
better class adhered quite rigdiy to the
forms and customs prevalent here.
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