Adapting O’Neill in Wartime China: Beyond the Horizon as Propaganda Drama

ABSTRACT In 1941, as the War of Resistance against Japan raged on, a production of Eugene O’Neill’s Beyond the Horizon was staged in Chongqing, the wartime capital of China. The Chinese version, Look into the Distance adapted by playwright Li Qinghua, served as propaganda to mobilize the masses for war. Through analyzing the characterization, conflicts, and theme, this article explores how the adaptation attempts to reach Chinese audiences to rally patriotism and national consciousness. Drawing on Linda Hutcheon’s theory of adaptation, this article demonstrates that Look into the Distance situates the source text into the local reality of wartime China through creative appropriation and intertextual engagement. This article aims to bring the Chinese wartime production of Beyond the Horizon to broader critical attention and further contribute to the study of Eugene O’Neill’s global reach.