Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan(Qu Yuan, 1942)---Written by Guo Moruo, this full- length tragedy recounts the life of Qu Yuan, a great statesman and poet in the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), who is stripped from his post a s prime minister because he refuses to follow the king's order to sign a treaty of compromise and to surrender to the prime minister from a powerful neighboring state.

With help from the royal guards, he escapes from prison and goes into exile among the country people to encourage them to fight for the state. The play served as a unifying force during the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945), and has been re-staged since the founding of the People's Republic.