Chinese Theatre: An Illustrated History Through Nuoxi and Mulianxi is the first book in any language entirely devoted to a historical inquiry into Chinese theatre through Nuoxi and Mulianxi, the two most representative and predominant forms of Chinese temple theatre. This is an interdisciplinary book project that is aimed to help researchers and students of theatre history understand the ritual origins of Chinese theatre and the dynamic relationships among myth, ritual, religion, and theatre.
Part 1. Mulianxi: From Northern Dramas to Southern Dramas; 1 Mulianxi in Northern Dramas; 2 Mulianxi in Southern Dramas; Mulianxi in Marvel Dramas; Part 2. Mulianxi: From Elite Court Theatre to Mass Regional Theatre; 4 Mulianxi at the Popular Turn of Kunqu; 5 Mulianxi in High-Qing Court Theatre; 6 Mulianxi in Mass Regional Theatre; Conclusion; Appendix: From Shrine to Stage: Towards an Anthropological Architecture of Chinese Temple Theatre; Glossary; Bibliography; Figure Credits
Biography
Xiaohuan Zhao is Associate Professor of Chinese Literary and Theatre Studies at the University of Sydney. He is also Distinguished Overseas Professor at the Research Institute of Xiqu Relics of Shanxi Normal University. With a specialist focus on ritual/religion and literature/theatre, his research is profiled in journals including T’oung Pao, TDR/The Drama Review, Asian Theatre Journal, Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft and Ecumenica: Performance and Religion. His most recent book is Drama, Fiction and Folk Belief (in Chinese) published by Fudan University Press.
