Chinese Shadow Theatre: History, Popular Religion, and Women Warriors

by Fan Pen Li Chen

In her study of Chinese shadow theatre Fan Pen Li Chen documents and corrects misconceptions about this once-popular art form. Drawing on extensive research and fieldwork, she argues that these plays served a mainly religious function during the Qing dynasty and that the appeal of women warrior characters reflected the lower classes' high tolerance for the unorthodox and subversive. Chinese Shadow Theatre includes several rare transcriptions of oral performances, including a didactic play on the eighteen levels of Hell, and Investiture of the Gods, a sacred saga, and translations of three rare, hand-copied shadow plays featuring religious themes and women warrior characters. Chen examines the relationship between historical and fictional women warriors and those in military romances and shadow plays to demonstrate the significance of both printed works and oral transmission in the diffusion of popular culture. She also shows that traditional folk theatre is a subject for serious academic study by linking it to recent scholarship on drama, popular religion, and popular culture.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ring Chime · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot more repetition of the same information than I usually enjoy reading a historical or a scholarly text. I appreciated the translations and the information though. You can clearly see the link between popular Chinese culture in the past and modern Chinese web novels and the like.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most thorough study of female warrior and fighter roles in traditional Chinese Theater, excellent.