Zheng Chenggong (1624 - 1662) was sired by Chinese

merchant-pirate in Hirado, Japan. A general at the

end of the Chinese Ming

Dynasty, he was a prominent leader of the movement

opposing the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and in recovering

Taiwan from Dutch colonial occupation in 1661.

Honored as a hero in Japan, China, and Taiwan, he

has been dramatized in many plays in various theatre

forms in Japan (since about 1700), China (since

1906), and Taiwan (since the 1920s). Yet his

portrayals in these plays are drastically different,

depending on the dramatists' intention of writing,

view of history, and artistic tools. This book, in

order to demonstrate the cultural and political

construction of this historical figure, examines the

history of the dramatization of Zheng, by comparing

selected texts from Japan, China, and Taiwan,

written between 1700 and the 1960s, with regard to

the historical contexts.

Chong Wang has received his M.A. in Theatre from the University

of Hawaii at Manoa. He is currently based in Beijing, doing

research and directing experimental performances. Mr. Wang is

also an award-winning translator. His email address:

hanenaka@hotmail.com.