The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama
Title | The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama PDF eBook |
Author | Xiaomei Chen |
Publisher | Columbia University Press |
Pages | 655 |
Release | 2014-03-25 |
Genre | Performing Arts |
ISBN | 0231535546 |
This condensed anthology reproduces close to a dozen plays from Xiaomei Chen's well-received original collection, The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Drama, along with her critical introduction to the historical, cultural, and aesthetic evolution of twentieth-century Chinese spoken drama. Comprising representative works from the Republican era to postsocialist China, the book encapsulates the revolutionary rethinking of Chinese theater and performance that began in the late Qing dynasty and vividly portrays the uncertainty and anxiety brought on by modernism, socialism, political conflict, and war. Chosen works from 1919 to 1990 also highlight the formation of national and gender identities during a period of tremendous social, cultural, and political change in China and the genesis of contemporary attitudes toward the West. PRC theater tracks the rise of communism, juxtaposing ideals of Chinese socialism against the sacrifices made for a new society. Post-Mao drama addresses the nation's socialist legacy, its attempt to reexamine its cultural roots, and postsocialist reflections on critical issues such as nation, class, gender, and collective memories. An essential, portable guide for easy reference and classroom use, this abridgment provides a concise yet well-rounded survey of China's theatricality and representation of political life. The original work not only established a canon of modern Chinese drama in the West but also made it available for the first time in English in a single volume.
An Oxford Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Drama
Title | An Oxford Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Drama PDF eBook |
Author | Martha Cheung |
Publisher | Oxford University Press, USA |
Pages | 914 |
Release | 1997 |
Genre | Drama |
ISBN |
This anthology of fifteen plays introduces Western readers to some of the finest Chinese drama of the last twenty years. Representing writers from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, the plays offer a wide selection of living Chinese theater, from socialist-realist, to comedic, to the experimental and avant-garde.
TV Drama in China
Title | TV Drama in China PDF eBook |
Author | Ying Zhu |
Publisher | Hong Kong University Press |
Pages | 289 |
Release | 2008-10-01 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 9622099408 |
This collection of essays brings together the first comprehensive study of TV drama in China. Examining in depth the production, distribution and consumption of TV drama, the international team of experts demonstrate why it remains the pre-eminent media form in China. The examples are diverse, highlighting the complexity of producing narrative content in a rapidly changing political and social environment. Genres examined include the revisionist Qing drama, historical and contemporary domestic dramas, anti-corruption dramas, "pink" dramas, Red Classics, stories from the Diaspora, and sit-coms. In addition to genres, the collection explores industry dynamics: how TV dramas are marketed and consumed on DVD, and China's aspirations to export its television drama rights. The book provides an international and cross-cultural perspective with chapters on Taiwanese TV drama in China, the impact of South Korean drama, and trans-border production between the Mainland and Hong Kong.
How to Read Chinese Drama
Title | How to Read Chinese Drama PDF eBook |
Author | Patricia Sieber |
Publisher | How to Read Chinese Literature |
Pages | 448 |
Release | 2021-11-02 |
Genre | Chinese drama |
ISBN | 9780231186490 |
"How to Read Chinese Drama: A Guided Anthology introduces students to the wide world of Chinese theater through excerpts from and context about 14 plays. Special attention is paid to how those plays are realized on stage. These examples cover the entire history of the most important genres up to the maturity of Peking opera in the second half of the nineteenth century. Students will be exposed to many play texts and aspects of Chinese theater, including three types of expressive modes-music (music and singing), text (speaking/reciting/written text), and movements (acting)-historical, biographical, and sociopolitical backgrounds about Chinese drama and playwrights, staging and rituals, and close textual analyses. The book is designed to be used independently or in concert with How to Read Chinese Drama: A Language Text, but the guided anthology volume does not assume any knowledge of Chinese"--
Chinese Drama and Society
Title | Chinese Drama and Society PDF eBook |
Author | Teresa Chi-Ching Sun |
Publisher | Rowman & Littlefield |
Pages | 115 |
Release | 2019-08-23 |
Genre | Literary Criticism |
ISBN | 0761871322 |
This book traces the entrance of Western stage drama into China and the initial reception it received from Chinese intellectuals. Form the introduction of Western literature and dramatic concepts to China in the early twentieth century to the Chinese national theatre movement and renovation of Beijing opera, specific and social cultural conditions ushered the literature created in that environment. The central contention of this book is that the evolution of modern literary stage drama was an important aspect of the Chinese intellectual movement, transforming stage shows into messengers of social change. When two cultures collide, it can produce significant literary and cultural change. While there have been productive studies comparing the characteristics of Eastern and Western theatre, there has not yet been a study examining the social environments that brought these characteristics about.
Reading the Right Text
Title | Reading the Right Text PDF eBook |
Author | Xiaomei Chen |
Publisher | University of Hawaii Press |
Pages | 480 |
Release | 2003-07-31 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0824845110 |
Reading the Right Text introduces six new plays from contemporary China, five of which are translated here into English for the first time. Chosen from a wide variety of well-received dramas of the period, each play represents the traditions and changes in a particular subgenre: regional theater, proletarian theater, women's theater, history plays, and experimental theater. Xiaomei Chen's wide-ranging and perceptive introduction locates the plays in the political and cultural history of modern China to demonstrate the interrelationship between theater, history, society, and everyday experience. She highlights the origin and development of the different sub-genres and outlines critical approaches from numerous fields, including gender studies, performance studies, subaltern studies, and comparative cultural studies. Quite apart from their importance as theater, these plays are crucial for a fully rounded understanding of the cultural dynamics involved in the transition from Maoist to post-Mao China, from socialist realist drama to the post-socialist response to a market economy and a society in flux.
Golden Age of Chinese Drama
Title | Golden Age of Chinese Drama PDF eBook |
Author | Chung-wen Shih |
Publisher | Princeton University Press |
Pages | 338 |
Release | 2015-03-08 |
Genre | Literary Criticism |
ISBN | 1400871093 |
The 171 extant plays of the Yuan period (1279-1368) are the oldest and most brilliant examples of Chinese dramatic literature. In this first comprehensive study, Chung-wen Shih systematically explores the riches of Yuan drama, from its unexcelled lyric poetry to its colorful characterization. After tracing the popular genres that contributed to the flowering of Yuan drama, the author describes conventional features of dramatic construction, methods of characterization, and recurring themes. The central focus is on the use of language: prose passages and lyrics are cited to show how innovative use of spoken language invests the prose with a remarkable strength and suppleness, and how imaginative use of figurative language endows the poetry with an incomparable richness of texture. Attention is also given to the use of music and physical aspects of staging. Originally published in 1976. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.