South China Society

The South China Society (Nanguo She) was a Chinese literary society founded by Tian Han. It was active in the early 20th century and produced plays that blended critical realism with melodrama. The society was part of a broader literary reform movement in China that began after the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in 1911/12. This movement advocated for literature written in the vernacular language rather than classical Chinese, inspired by Western literary traditions and figures like Henrik Ibsen. The South China Society played a role in introducing new dramatic forms and performances, contributing to the "new literature" that emerged during this period.1