Literature, Cultural and Media Studies

The book is intended to become a useful reference for theatre people who need &quote;China knowledge&quote;. Its central questions are: how is traditional Chinese theatre (&quote;Chinese opera&quote;, i.e. xiqu) embedded in contemporary Chinese society? What identities are created through theatre? And, most importantly: how are these identities related to one another to form a complex &quote;economy of identities&quote;? An insight is offered into the traditional Chinese theatre system composed of over three hundred theatre types vying for recognition in a complex relational network. Understanding how this &quote;relationality&quote; works might also shed light on the functioning of other fields in the current socio-cultural complex of China.