October 2, 2025Open Access

A Comparative Study on the Survival Strategies of Li Shiqing and Huang Xingsan in Sunrise

Key Points

Both Li Shiqing's ambition and Huang Xingsan's endurance illustrate the harsh realities of capitalism, revealing inequities.
Key findings show that their contrasting strategies lead to their downfalls, underscoring a critique of societal injustices.
By utilizing Marxist theories and cognitive dissonance, the study sheds light on the exploitation faced by different social classes.
The analysis suggests that, regardless of approach, both characters succumb to systemic oppression within a flawed society.

Abstract

Cao Yus Sunrise is a seminal work in modern Chinese drama. This study examines the survival strategies and tragic fates of Li Shiqing and Huang Xingsan in Sunrise (Richu), a play by Cao Yu, against the backdrop of 1930s semi-colonial and semi-feudal China. The research focuses on how these two characters, representing different social strata, navigate the oppressive capitalist system, and how their choices reflect broader societal injustices. Using Marxist theories of labor alienation and Festingers cognitive dissonance theory, this paper analyzes their contrasting survival tacticsLis ruthless ambition versus Huangs passive enduranceand their eventual downfalls. The study addresses key questions: How do their strategies expose the exploitative nature of capitalism? What do their fates reveal about class mobility and moral decay in that era? The findings demonstrate that both characters, despite their divergent approaches, ultimately succumb to systemic oppression, reinforcing Cao Yus critique of a society where "the weak are sacrificed for the strong.

A Comparative Study on the Survival Strategies of Li Shiqing and Huang Xingsan in Sunrise

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