二十世紀二十年代是粵劇發展的轉折時期，無論舞臺語言、行當結構、音樂唱腔、 劇本形式、商業運作、市場觀眾等，都產生重大變化。本文從粵劇文化史的角度閱 讀《戲劇世界》雜誌，配合文獻史料，探索粵劇新一代「開戲師爺」，如何透過書寫和 出版活動，在一個重新整合的城市戲曲生產場域，創造和獲取象徵資本，從而建立 鞏固其新晉編劇家位置。文章後半部，聚焦於《戲劇世界》的劇論議題，展現一眾開 戲師爺眼中的「戲劇世界」：從舞臺佈景的「蛇足」、電光道具的「奇觀」和佈景廣告的 「荒誕」，歸結到二十年代粵劇的城市化、商品化現象。文章的「餘論」，嘗試比較《戲 劇世界》和另一份粵劇雜誌《劇潮》，窺探開戲師爺、粵劇戲班和商業戲園三者之間的 關係。總的來說，開戲師爺編印的《戲劇世界》，折射出二十年代粵劇生態環境，也 反映了近代戲曲和印刷文化之間的多元聯繫。

Published in Canton in 1922, The Theatrical World (Xiju shijie) is a Chinese drama magazine that has witnessed the historical changes of Cantonese opera, including the rise of a new generation of Cantonese opera scriptwriters. In a respectful and colloquial expression also known as kaixi shiye, this batch of professional or semiprofessional opera scriptwriters distinguished themselves from the traditional librettists of Cantonese opera at least in two aspects. First, they were not trained as stage performers. Rather, these younger scriptwriters were educated “literary practitioners” who had established their career in publishing, editing, and writing. Apparently, they lacked the theatrical trainings and career seniority that their predecessors had acquired. However, as this article argues, their social networks, literary skills and new knowledge about modern literature serve as the cultural and social capital that were instrumental in positioning themselves in the field of production of Cantonese opera. The second half of this article analyses the “theatrical world” revealed in the drama criticism section of the magazine, highlighting the issues of “visual spectacle” and “commodification” of Cantonese opera. Comparing The Theatrical World with another magazine titled Drama Trend (Juchao), the final section of this essay explores the connections between kaixi shiye, drama magazines, and commercial theatre of Hong Kong during the 1920s.