On the Compilation of Excellent Remarks(You Yu) and the Evolution of the Outlook on Theatre History——From Wang Guowei's You Yu Lu to Ren Bantang's You Yu Ji

Both You Yu Lu(literally Records of Excellent Remarks) by Wang Guowei and You Yu Ji(literally Collections of Excellent Remarks) by Ren Bantang are classic documents in the history of Chinese theatre studies. Their compilation of excellent remarks reflects the evolution of research approaches among theatre historians. In terms of compilation purposes, principles and classification, Wang Guowei upheld an ontology-oriented view of theatre. His research centered on tracing the origin of Chinese opera, emphasizing the extraction of theatrical performing elements from excellent remarks and focusing on their linguistic components. In contrast, Ren Bantang shifted his attention to the social functions of theatre, committing himself to constructing a complete developmental history of excellent remarks. With interpreting ideological implications as his core task, he highlighted the ideological connotations of excellent remarks and stressed their roles in social criticism and moral enlightenment. The differences between Wang Guowei and Ren Bantang in theatrical concepts and research methods mirror the diverse paradigms of theatre history studies since modern times, bearing profound academic value and influence.