The Religious Culture in CAO Yu's Plays

CAO Yu used to be a folk artist, educated at Tsinghua University by the modern Liberalism and the West- ern Christian civilization. What makes him a master of drama is firstly the traditional culture of China, especially the folk religious culture of Confucianism, Buddhismand Daoism, a combination both cruel and lively, and the traditional Chinese opera and novel representing the folk religious culture. The Liberalism and Christianity he learned at Tsing- hua University are only of secondary importance. The philosophical and cultural resources he possessed are complex and native; once he lost the complexness, he lost the creative ability of the spirit step by step, and the charm of his art was weakened as a result.