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Inscribing Jingju/Peking Opera
Textualization and Performance, Authorship and Censorship of the âNational Dramaâ of China from the Late Qing to the Present
Series: - Studies in the History of Chinese Texts, Volume: 12
Author:
What was the most influential mass medium in China before the internet? Jingju (Peking opera)! Although its actors were commonly thought to have been illiterate, written and other inscripted versions of plays became more and more important and varied.
This book shows how increasing textualization and the resulting fixation of a performance tradition that once privileged improvisation changed the genre. It traces, from Jingjuâs birth in the 19th century to the present, how texts were used for the production and consumption of this important performance genre and the changes in the concepts of authorship, copyright, and performance rights that took place during the process. The stateâs desire to police what was performed is shown to have been a major factor in these changes.
The scope and coverage of the book is already unprecedented, but it is also supplemented by an additional chapter (on where the plays were performed, who performed them, and who went to see them) available for download online.
This book shows how increasing textualization and the resulting fixation of a performance tradition that once privileged improvisation changed the genre. It traces, from Jingjuâs birth in the 19th century to the present, how texts were used for the production and consumption of this important performance genre and the changes in the concepts of authorship, copyright, and performance rights that took place during the process. The stateâs desire to police what was performed is shown to have been a major factor in these changes.
The scope and coverage of the book is already unprecedented, but it is also supplemented by an additional chapter (on where the plays were performed, who performed them, and who went to see them) available for download online.
David L. Rolston has been teaching Chinese language and literature at the University of Michigan since he obtained his Ph.D. in 1988. His previous research focus was traditional Chinese fiction, resulting in two books, How to Read the Chinese Novel (1990) and Traditional Chinese Fiction Commentary (1997). Since then he has concentrated on traditional Chinese theater, publishing many articles on that subject in Chinese.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: What Is Jingju, and Why Should We Care about It?
â1âNames, Names, Names
â2âWhy Should We Care about Jingju?
1 Jingju Repertoire(s) and Types of Plays and Playscripts
â1âThe Repertoire(s)
â2âTypes of Plays
â3âTypes of Playscripts
2 Textualization and Authorship before Xikao (Research into Plays)
â1âAuthorship and Textualization of âClassical Chinese Indigenous Theaterâ
â2âTwo Kinds of Early Literati Jingju Playwrights and the Common Fate of Their Plays
â3âEarly âOrdinaryâ Actors as Playwrights
â4âLiterati Who Became Actors and Also Wrote Plays
â5âEarly âProfessionalâ Playwrights
3 The Production of a Mass-Market Collection of Jingju Playscripts: Xikao (Research into Plays)
â1âThe Publication History of Xikao
â2âWhat Is Xikao? The Title(s)
â3âWhat Is Xikao? Looking for the Master Plan
â4âWho Put Xikao Together?
â5âWhere Did the Playscripts Come From?
â6âThe Photos
4 After Xikao: The Rise of Theater Studies, Copyright, and New Censorship Regimes
â1âEvaluation of Xikao
â2âNew Approaches That Arose at Least Partially in Reaction to Xikao
5 New Kinds of Playwrights
â1âChen Moxiang: The Most Prolific Jingju Playwright of the Republican Era
â2âWeng Ouhong: The Most Prolific/Famous Jingju Playwright
â3âPlaywriting after Weng Ouhong
6 New Kinds of Publication
â1âSingle Plays Published in Anthologies
â2âSingle Plays Published as Books
â3âSingle Plays Published in Periodicals
â4âNew Media and the Recording of Image, Movement, and Sound
â5âRecording More Detail in Play Texts: Adding Graphic Elements and Photographs
â6âNew Recording Media and New Ways of Telling Plays (Shuoxi)
â7âNew Recording Media: DVD Bonus Features, Digitization, Hypertexts, and the Web
Epilogue: Living with Textual Fixity
Appendix: List of Plays in Xikao
Select Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction: What Is Jingju, and Why Should We Care about It?
â1âNames, Names, Names
â2âWhy Should We Care about Jingju?
1 Jingju Repertoire(s) and Types of Plays and Playscripts
â1âThe Repertoire(s)
â2âTypes of Plays
â3âTypes of Playscripts
2 Textualization and Authorship before Xikao (Research into Plays)
â1âAuthorship and Textualization of âClassical Chinese Indigenous Theaterâ
â2âTwo Kinds of Early Literati Jingju Playwrights and the Common Fate of Their Plays
â3âEarly âOrdinaryâ Actors as Playwrights
â4âLiterati Who Became Actors and Also Wrote Plays
â5âEarly âProfessionalâ Playwrights
3 The Production of a Mass-Market Collection of Jingju Playscripts: Xikao (Research into Plays)
â1âThe Publication History of Xikao
â2âWhat Is Xikao? The Title(s)
â3âWhat Is Xikao? Looking for the Master Plan
â4âWho Put Xikao Together?
â5âWhere Did the Playscripts Come From?
â6âThe Photos
4 After Xikao: The Rise of Theater Studies, Copyright, and New Censorship Regimes
â1âEvaluation of Xikao
â2âNew Approaches That Arose at Least Partially in Reaction to Xikao
5 New Kinds of Playwrights
â1âChen Moxiang: The Most Prolific Jingju Playwright of the Republican Era
â2âWeng Ouhong: The Most Prolific/Famous Jingju Playwright
â3âPlaywriting after Weng Ouhong
6 New Kinds of Publication
â1âSingle Plays Published in Anthologies
â2âSingle Plays Published as Books
â3âSingle Plays Published in Periodicals
â4âNew Media and the Recording of Image, Movement, and Sound
â5âRecording More Detail in Play Texts: Adding Graphic Elements and Photographs
â6âNew Recording Media and New Ways of Telling Plays (Shuoxi)
â7âNew Recording Media: DVD Bonus Features, Digitization, Hypertexts, and the Web
Epilogue: Living with Textual Fixity
Appendix: List of Plays in Xikao
Select Bibliography
Index
All interested in the relationships between text and performance as well as students of Chinese culture.