The cross-cultural translation of Maugham’s British play in Hong Kong in the 1950s: A study of the translation of the Sacred Flame into Xin Yan

Abstract

William Somerset Maugham’s 1928 play <i>The Sacred Flame</i> was translated and adapted into the Chinese play <i>Xin Yan</i> staged in Hong Kong in the 1950s. In this article, I examine how this British play was turned into cultural resources for Chinese intellectuals and dramatists to fight against feudalism rooted in China and Hong Kong. At the same time, I also discuss how “female sexuality” is shown in both the original and the adapted texts. In the first part of this article, I lay out the personal story of Maugham to examine how his life experiences shaped the theme of his work. Though <i>The Sacred Flame</i> is easily recognized as an example of melodrama, its main theme goes far beyond the typical plots of romance and marriage. In fact, it could be regarded as a subtle gay/queer text where Maugham poses a challenge to traditional family structure and heterosexual marriage. In the second part, through examining the Chinese translation of <i>The Sacred Flame</i>, I emphasize how the play was localized by making modifications to suit the Chinese context and finally performed as <i>Xin Yan</i> by The Chinese Drama Group of the Sino-British Club of Hong Kong in the 1950s.