Shaw and the Last Chinese Emperor, Henry Pu-yi Aisin-Gioro

Abstract

Taking the real-life teacher–student relationship of Sir Reginald Johnston and the last Chinese emperor, Henry Pu-yi, as analogous to Shaw’s Saint Joan and the Dauphin, one realizes that the Western prescription of a Superman did not work, and instead the Western teacher Johnston was “converted,” so to speak. In addition, considering how Dickens’s works were seen in China helps us understand the reasons behind the failure of the Shavian agenda in Saint Joan. A survey of Dickens in China shows that his works made their way into the country over contextual bridges that enabled the Chinese to discover a specific, nearly targeted relevance. Yet the playwright’s prescription of a Superman in Saint Joan could not happen that readily in real life.