Abstract: The Sunrise, one of CAO Yu's most representative plays, occupies an important position in modern Chinese drama and even in Chinese modern and contemporary literature. The academic debate on The Sunrise has gone through several stages: First, at the beginning of its publication, XIAO Qian invited many writers and critics to make collective comments on it, together with Cao Yu's own response, which greatly promoted the in-depth study of the work; Secondly, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were several great discussions on it, which played a great role in promoting its canonization from text to the stage. At the same time, the valuable academic debate on The Sunrise has important reference significance for the current drama criticism.