Overview

This book examines male dan, a male actor who performs female roles in Chinese theatre. Through the rise, fall and tenuous survival of male dan in Chinese history, Guo Chao reflects the transformations in the social zeitgeist in China, especially the politics of gender and sexuality. The breadth of this study reflects a diversified set of sources, ranging from classical to contemporary texts (texts of jingju plays, memoirs, collections of notation books) and other commentaries and critical evaluations of dan actors (in both English and Chinese languages) to video and audio materials, films and personal interviews. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of East Asian/Chinese studies across the fields of theatre, history, culture and literature.

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9780367505431

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Reviews

Guo Chao’s comprehensive study of male dan in traditional Chinese theatre provides fresh insights into Chinese culture and history. The book draws a chronological chart of male dan for around 500 years, examining the differences and/or relations between male dan and homosexuality. His informative analysis allows readers to understand this particular Chinese phenomenon. Mei Sun, National Central University Guo Chao offers an engaging and original contribution to the study of the male dan, tracing this prominent but often misunderstood figure from its late imperial heyday to the twenty-first century. Nimbly navigating between sociocultural history, theatre and performance studies, and gender studies, Chinese Traditional Theatre and Male Dan courageously complicates received narratives, whether unsympathetic or celebratory. Josh Stenberg, The University of Sydney

Author Information

Guo Chao is an Assistant Professor of Chinese at Sun Yat-sen University, China. He publishes extensively on Chinese history, culture and society in journals such as Asian Theatre Journal, Asian Studies Review, Journal of Gender Studies and Cambridge Opera Journal.

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