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Kate Stevens | At the age of 75, as I look back on half a
century of involvement with Chinese literature, I am bemused.
There was little hint in my early life that I would turn into
a Chinese scholar. New England born and bred, I hardly seemed
fated to wander. In fact, with a bachelor's of Arts in physics
and a job at a Long Island laboratory, I seemed set for a scientific
career.
Kate is a storyteller who is
not of Chinese heritage but has made Chinese performing arts
her life's work - so much so that she is often consulted by Chinese-Canadian
tellers. Her commitment to Chinese traditional tales stands at
the centre of her life; her repertoire is unique; her connection
with Chinese tellers and performance settings passionate. Her
extensive repertoire includes everything from folktales to clapper
tales to Peking Drum Song.
- Jan Andrews, Storyteller
and Author
But in my suitcase was a book
from an English lit. course - Ezra Pound's translation of Confucian
classics, with facing Chinese character text. In my spare time,
with a dictionary, I began to work my way back and forth: Chinese
to English to Chinese… it was wisdom and fun; physics was
abandoned.
For three years I studied both
modern and classical Chinese, loving the language and culture,
dreaming of seeing China. When a chance came to study in Taiwan,
I leapt at it. My Hunanese landlady, Mrs. Ye, became my guide
to Chinese culture; best of all she pointed me to Chinese storytelling
and Zhang Cuifeng.
Four years later, I returned
to the States; the transition to graduate student bookwork was
painful but instructive. The library was full of mainland publications
which described and analyzed a bewildering variety of genres
I had never heard of. When would I see them for myself?
I began teaching Chinese literature
at the University of Toronto in 1966, and whenever possible drew
Chinese performing arts material into the curricula, to the students'
enjoyment. In 1973, I saw China for the first time, and in the
1980s made several research trips to hear, study with and record
some of China's superb singer-tellers.
All were patient and generous
to a fault with this inquisitive foreigner. I studied with my
wonderful Peking Drumsinging teacher, Sun Shujun. Then at the
peak of her powers, now, at age 80, she still mesmerizes audiences
with her art. Gao Yuanjun and Gao Fengshan, leaders in their
arts, taught me clappering too.
I wanted to share this material
with students, many of whom spoke no Chinese; a method evolved
where, with Chinese tellers in my mind's eye, I told the story
in English first, and then we listened to the recordings. It
worked, and it led to my English tellings in the wider community.
After retirement in 1986, storytelling became my main focus.
Now I live in Victoria, my
traveling days over, grateful for the students and the performers
in China and Taiwan who helped me along this path, and happy
to chat with any storyteller who happens by.
For photos of Mrs. Ye, Zhang
Cuifeng, Gao Yuanjun, Sun Shunjun and Gao Fengshan, see The
World of the Chinese Storyteller.
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