Title: A Study of the Overseas Adaptation of Yuan Zaju Rescue from the Wind and Dust

Abstract: This paper focuses on Guan Hanqing’s Yuan zaju Rescue from the Wind and Dust, examining the cross-cultural adaptation practice of its 2021 adaptation at the Almeida Theatre in London, UK. The paper outlines the journey of Rescue from the Wind and Dust from textual translation to stage adaptations both domestically and internationally, with an emphasis on the changes in stage design, performance methods, characters, and plot in the adaptation by the Almeida Theatre. By integrating the Chinese narrative into western audiences’ familiar aesthetic and cognitive framework, the adaptation lowers the barrier to reception and promotes cultural exchange. However, it also reflects the influence of box-office considerations and sociocultural factors, reducing the East to the consumable Other. Studying the British adaptation with reference to the original Chinese version helps to reflect on the phenomenon of “misreading” in cross-cultural theatrical adaptation and to explore a dialogic path for cross-cultural adaptation.

Keywords: Rescue from the Wind and Dust, Almeida Theatre, cross-cultural adaptation, cultural exchange in theatre between China and other countries, Guan Hanqing

Authors: Maosheng Liu, Professor, Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Yongqi Li, Ph.D. Candidate, Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

DOI: 10.19967/j.cnki.flc.2026.03.005