pt. 1. The history and culture of Chinese shadow theatre -- 1. An introduction to shadow theatre -- 2. History and myths -- 3. The role of religion -- 4. Women warriors in shadow plays -- pt. 2. Three Chinese shadow scripts -- "Three opening blessings" -- The eighteen levels of hell -- The Yellow River magic formation -- App 1. Suzi : non-standard orthography -- App 2. Collections of shadow playscripts -- App 3. Main plays of the various Chinese shadow traditions -- App 4. Shadow plays featuring women warriors
Summary
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
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes
Text in English with names, titles, and bibliographical material in Chinese script
