This book is a comprehensive and inviting introduction to the literary
forms and cultural significance of Chinese drama as both text and
performance. Each chapter offers an accessible overview and critical
analysis of one or more plays--canonical as well as less frequently
studied works--and their historical contexts. How to Read Chinese
Drama highlights how each play sheds light on key aspects of the
dramatic tradition, including genre conventions, staging practices,
musical performance, audience participation, and political resonances,
emphasizing interconnections among chapters. It brings together leading
scholars spanning anthropology, art history, ethnomusicology, history,
literature, and theater studies.
How to Read Chinese Drama is straightforward, clear, and concise,
written for undergraduate students and their instructors as well as a
wider audience interested in world theater. For students of Chinese
literature and language, the book provides questions to explore when
reading, watching, and listening to plays, and it features bilingual
excerpts. For teachers, an analytical table of contents, a
theater-specific chronology of events, and lists of visual resources and
translations provide pedagogical resources for exploring Chinese theater
within broader cultural and comparative contexts. For theater
practitioners, the volume offers deeply researched readings of important
plays together with background on historical performance conventions,
audience responses, and select modern adaptations.
