Chinglish (TCG Edition)

By David Henry Hwang

"Marvelous . . . the conceit is elegantly of a piece, yet Hwang is able to keep turning it in on itself to reveal new ambiguities, absurdities, subversions and paradoxes."—Chicago Reader

"Hwang's plays collectively chart the evolving definition of what it is to be an 'American.' . . . His art has illuminated and anticipated our ongoing national story with a sensibility unlike any other in the American theater."—Frank Rich

Springing from the author's personal experiences in China over the past five years, Chinglish follows a Midwestern American businessman desperately seeking to score a lucrative contact for his family's firm as he travels to China only to discover how much he doesn't understand. Named for the unique and often comical third language that evolves from attempts to translate Chinese signs into English, Chinglish explores the challenges of doing business in a culture whose language—and ways of communicating—are worlds apart from our own. David Henry Hwang's "best new work since M. Butterfly, this shrewd, timely and razor-sharp comedy" (Chicago Tribune) received its Broadway premiere in fall 2011.

David Henry Hwang is the author of the Tony Award–winning M. Butterfly, the Pulitzer Prize–finalist Yellow Face, Golden Child, FOB, Family Devotions, and the books for musicals Aida (as co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 Broadway revival), and Tarzan, among other works.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
• Release date: Jun 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781559364263

David Henry Hwang

David Henry Hwang, acclaimed playwright and winner of the 2012 Steinberg award, screenwriter, and librettist, won the Tony Award for his play M. Butterfly.

Book preview

Act On

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Scene 1

Daniel Cavanaugh, a white American, forties, speaks to us at a podium, wireless clicker in hand. Images from his presentation appear upstage.

First image: a photograph of a sign, in both English and Chinese. The Chinese reads: The English reads: To Take Notice of Safe: The Slippery Are Very Crafty.

DANIEL: To take notice of safe: The slippery are very crafty. The proper translation should be: Slippery Slopes Ahead.

(Click: second image. The Chinese reads: The English reads: "Financial Affairs

Is Everywhere Long.")

What does this one mean? Believe it or not: Chief Financial Officer. Likely the result of a bad computer translation program.

(Click: third image. The Chinese reads: The English reads: Fuck the Certain Price of Goods.)

Surprisingly, this sign does not have anything to do with a sale. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to walk into, say, Barneys and find a sign reading: Fuck the Certain Price of Goods? But it should actually read: Dry Goods Pricing Department. Unfortunately.

(Pause.)

You see, after the Communist government came to power, Chairman Mao ordered that the centuries-old system of writing Chinese characters—beautiful, arcane, devilishly complicated—be simplified for the masses—or, as we would call them today, consumers. In so doing, the ideographs for dry and to do were merged. And to do is also slang for, well, to do someone. Once you know that, it all makes sense.

(Pause.)

Thank you to the Commerce League of Ohio for inviting me to talk about doing business in China. The greatest pool of untapped consumers history has ever known. People ask me, How did I manage to get a foothold there? Well, the truth is, when I started out, I knew nothing more about China than the difference between Moo Shu Pork and General Tso’s Chicken.

(Pause.)

The first rule of doing business in China is also the last. Assuming you are an American. Because, if you are American, it is also safe to assume that you do not speak a single fucking foreign language. If you take away nothing else from our talk today, remember this. Write it down.

(Pause.)

When doing business in China, always bring your own translator.

Scene 2

A title reads: Three Years Earlier. Guiyang, China. Daniel sits with Peter Timms, a white Englishman, forties, in a restaurant in the provincial capital of Guiyang.

DANIEL: I run a small, family-owned firm, based in Cleveland. Have you seen our website?

PETER: Impressive.

DANIEL: I sent you our proposal. My // assistant—

PETER: It’s a fine proposal.

DANIEL: Thank you. So, can we make something happen here?

PETER: I can arrange a meeting with Cai Guoliang, Minister of Culture for Guiyang City.

DANIEL: Great.

PETER: But I need to make sure you’re prepared. I suppose you’ve heard of Guanxi.

DANIEL: Bring me up to speed.

PETER: Relationships. It’s almost a cliché now, but business in China is built on relationships.

DANIEL: This is the part about taking them out. Wining and dining.

PETER: Wining and dining are just the beginning. You see, for years, Western economists have held that a fair and consistent legal system—with predictable outcomes—is necessary for solid economic growth.

DANIEL: You have to know the rules of the game.

PETER: Precisely. But, here in China, the legal system is a joke. No one expects justice. And yet, the Chinese have maintained consistent growth over decades, at levels the West can only dream about.

DANIEL: With no justice system.

PETER: But what you do have, are predictable outcomes.

DANIEL: Mmmm.

PETER: People here know roughly what to expect. The trick is to understand that all these outcomes take place outside the formal justice system.

DANIEL: Through—

PETER: Guanxi.

DANIEL: Guanxi.

PETER: Which means, you have to take the time and trouble to build an actual relationship.

DANIEL: OK.

PETER: Otherwise, you leave here with merely a signed contract?

DANIEL: Contracts mean nothing here.

PETER: Because—

DANIEL: Contracts are shit?

PETER: Because the legal system—

DANIEL:—means nothing here.

PETER: Precisely. The only thing that matters is—

DANIEL:—the relationship.

PETER: Guanxi.

DANIEL: Guanxi. I got it.

(Pause.)

So I should think about staying here more than a week.

PETER: Try eight, Mr. Cavanaugh.

DANIEL: Daniel. Eight weeks?

PETER: For a first visit, Daniel.

DANIEL: My family is gonna kill me.

(Pause.)

What am I eating?

PETER: Sour fish soup.

DANIEL: Spicy.

PETER: The Guizhou people pride themselves on their peppers.

DANIEL: Can I get a cold soda or something?

PETER (To offstage): Lái gè bīng zhèn ké kóu kě lè, bú yào jiā bīng.

One cold Coca-Cola, no ice.

DANIEL: How do I get this? —You speak Chinese.

PETER: Passably.

DANIEL: Well, of course, you speak—

PETER: No, actually, very well.

DANIEL: You’ve been here in China

Reviews for Chinglish (TCG Edition)

[jrissman_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Chinglish is a unique play about a businessman promoting his sign-making company in China. It is genuinely funny and surprisingly poignant at the end. It does not take long to read- roughly an hour- and is well worth it. I hope to see it in the theater someday.