This book examines male
dan
, a male actor who performs female roles in Chinese theatre.
Through the rise, fall and tenuous survival of male
in Chinese history, Guo Chao reflects the transformations in the social zeitgeist in China, especially the politics of gender and sexuality. The breadth of this study reflects a diversified set of sources, ranging from classical to contemporary texts (texts of
jingju
plays, memoirs, collections of notation books) and other commentaries and critical evaluations of
actors (in both English and Chinese languages) to video and audio materials, films and personal interviews.
This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of East Asian/Chinese studies across the fields of theatre, history, culture and literature.