Joseph Graves is a renowned American playwright. His plays, musicals, and operas have not only appeared on stages in the West End of London, but have also toured in many places such as the UK and the US. Joseph Graves has been living and working in China as a playwright since 2002. He has brought numerous classic Western plays to the Chinese stage and also brought Chinese theatrical works to perform in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, blooming on the international stage. In August 2002, I stepped onto the soil of China for the first time, braving the lingering heat of summer. Previously, whether it was performing in front of the stage or directing behind the scenes, my theatrical footsteps had stepped onto the stage of many countries, but I had never touched this fertile land of the East. I have only read sporadic texts about Chinese drama and have almost no knowledge about its vibrant ecology. When I received an invitation to direct a Shakespearean play in China, my heart was filled with excitement. At that time, I never expected that this trip to China would completely rewrite the trajectory of my life - in just one year, I shifted the focus of most of my drama work to this land and deeply rooted myself in it. In the years of China, there has always been an unexpected joy lingering in my heart. As an American, my distant Western homeland has never made me feel homesick. On the contrary, every time I take a break from China, whether it's visiting relatives and friends, or going to another country to pursue a career in drama, within two weeks, my concern for China will entangle my heart like a vine. It is precisely because of this concern that I have spent 90% of my time in China over the past 23 years, and this place has long been the destination of my heart. Another unexpected fate was my encounter with Peking University. In 2004, I co founded the Institute of Foreign Drama and Film at Peking University with Cheng Chaoxiang, who was then the dean of the School of Foreign Languages at Peking University. In the past 20 years, I have held two positions simultaneously: as a teacher at Peking University who imparts knowledge, and as the artistic director of the research institute. We have set several goals for the research institute. The first step is to create professional theatrical works. We invite theater artists and technicians from both the East and the West to build a stage together, allowing professional creators to become mentors and pass on true knowledge to students in practice; Secondly, it is to build a bridge between Chinese and foreign dramas, not only spreading the Eastern charm of Chinese drama overseas, but also introducing excellent foreign plays into China, allowing different cultures to collide and spark inspiration on stage. Witnessing the students shining brightly, I have integrated my original intention for performing arts into every course of design. For students who aspire to enter the performing arts industry, I hope these courses can become the starting point of their career path. More importantly, these courses are the 'creative gifts' I have prepared for professional students. For students from other majors such as law, medicine, philosophy, history, and computer science, I hope they can gain experiences on stage that cannot be provided in the classroom through the courses they are studying. Drama, dance, and music are adept at vividly mobilizing the human body, mind, and emotions. This theatrical experience from the stage helps them find more joy and inspiration in their studies in this field, and further deepen their understanding. I firmly believe that drama practice is not a substitute for traditional learning for students, but a complement to it. During my tenure at Peking University, I directed over 50 professional plays in China, both in Chinese and English. Many classic Western plays made their debut on the Chinese stage for the first time; I have also directed over 40 student works, and the stories of both Eastern and Western cultures shine brightly with the performances of young actors. I also promoted several universities to jointly launch the "Shakespeare Drama Festival", which has attracted teachers and students from many universities in Chinese Mainland for more than 10 years. Participants showcase classic works on the stage of youth by performing 20 to 30 minutes of Shakespearean plays. The essence of drama lies in sharing a time filled with love for life with the audience. If you observe a 3-year-old child carefully, you will find that games, role-playing, and performance are inseparable. Children's games usually include a lot of content about playing a certain identity or role. If adults want to participate, they must first become their "companions" rather than "audience" in the role-playing activities. This longing for 'performance' will not disappear with the end of childhood. Just like the Latin sentence on the wall of the Globe Theatre in London, which literally translates to 'the whole world is writing history', but in the context of drama, it is given a more touching interpretation: 'the whole world is a stage'. All beings in the world are actors, each performing a unique drama of life. It can be seen that "performance" has long been integrated into daily life like breathing, becoming an instinct hidden in human words and actions. This is the 'original intention' that I want to convey to the students. Watching students grow is the most gratifying thing for me. Over the years, I have witnessed hundreds of former students embark on a new chapter in their academic journey: at prestigious universities in China such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, one can see their pursuit of dreams; In the United States, there are figures of them seeking knowledge at universities such as Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, etc; In universities such as Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, they left their footprints of exploration.. Many of my students choose to pursue careers in drama after graduation, becoming professional actors, screenwriters, and directors, shining brightly on stage and bringing drama, which originated from Chinese culture, to more world stages; Many people have also ventured into fields such as law, physics, chemistry, medicine, history, archaeology, etc. But no matter which path they choose, they shine brightly in their respective fields with the creativity and courage they gained in drama classes. In 2012, I participated in the founding of the "Seven Acts of Life" company and have been serving as its artistic director ever since. We are committed to introducing overseas classic musical copyrights and producing Chinese versions, with representative works such as "Me, Don Quixote", "The Sound of Music", "Matilda", "The Lion King", etc. Although I have retired from Peking University, I have never left the stage of drama that I love. Over the years, the company has produced dozens of musicals, each of which I personally directed; These plays are like dandelions, drifting in over 50 cities across the country, performing thousands of times and accompanying millions of viewers through unforgettable moments. We also offer children's musical theater courses to create a 'drama paradise' for children aged 5 to 16. Now, more than 200 children come to class every week, singing with tender voices and dancing with agile steps, chasing their dreams of music and stage, and accumulating strength for our upcoming Chinese versions of "Matilda" and "Jumping Out of My World" performances. At the same time, we have also partnered with multiple junior and senior high schools in Beijing and Shanghai to bring drama and musical courses into the classroom, providing free training for some teachers and allowing the seeds of drama to sprout and grow in the hearts of more young people. In addition, we are also partnering with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK to launch a national tour of the English version of 'Matilda' early next year. Today, I am still busy in the world of drama: directing plays, training actors, and personally performing on stage. Next, my theatrical journey will continue - the solo play 'Shakespeare Alone', written, directed, and performed by myself, will embark on a new tour in three cities: Shanghai, Chengdu, and Chongqing. It is worth mentioning that this work has been on the Chinese stage for 20 years, from the north to Jiangnan, from the coast to the inland, with its footprints covering dozens of cities and more than 500 performances in total; In every performance, Shakespeare's words blend with Eastern emotions on stage, and it has also made me deeply connected with countless audiences through drama. I also brought my newly created work 'The Iliad of One Person' to the 3rd International Unicorn Drama Festival, which opened in Beijing at the end of October this year. This work reinterprets Homeric epics from a contemporary perspective, attempting to resonate the stories of ancient heroes with current life experiences through a minimalist monologue performance, bringing the audience a spiritual dialogue that spans thousands of years. The most precious gift of drama is always' knowing oneself ': understanding who one is, knowing the role one plays in the world, and learning to be gentle with the world. As the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley said in the preface to "The Qinqi Family," "The highest moral goal pursued by the highest level of drama is to guide people to understand themselves through the love and hate in human hearts." Whether performing on stage or watching in person, drama can help us understand ourselves and others, and the depth and clarity of this understanding are irreplaceable. I would say to anyone who has a slight curiosity about drama: give it a try! Step into the world of drama, experience its charm, and then share your passion through the stage. This not only brings endless happiness, but may also completely change your life. (New Society)