The Rise of Cantonese Opera

289 Pages·2015·3.299 MB·English

by  Wing Chung Ng

T h e R i s e o f
C a n T o n e s e o p e R a
W i n g C h u n g n g
The Rise of Cantonese Opera
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The Rise of Cantonese Opera
v
wing chung ng
university of illinois press
urbana, chicago, and springfield
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© 2015 by the Board of Trustees
of the University of Illinois
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
c 5 4 3 2 1
∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ng, Wing Chung, 1961–
The rise of Cantonese opera / Wing Chung Ng.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-252-03911-9 (cloth: alk. paper)
isbn 978-0-252-09709-6 (ebook)
1. Operas, Chinese—China—Guangdong Sheng—History and
criticism. 2. Operas, Chinese—China—Guangzhou—History and
criticism. 3. Operas, Chinese—China—Hong Kong—History and
criticism.
I. Title.
ml1751.c5n45 2015
782.109512'75—dc23 2014035478
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To the memory of Ng Ching and Tse Ping
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If someone thinks he knows something,
He does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know.
—1 Corinthians 8:2
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Contents
List of Illustrations xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Note on Romanization xvii
Introduction 1
Part I: Formation of Cantonese Opera in South China
Chapter One: Itinerant Actors and Red Boats in the Pearl River Delta 11
Chapter Two: Urbanization of Cantonese Opera 31
Chapter Three: Urban Theater and Its Modern Crisis 56
Part II: Popular Theater and the State
Chapter Four: The Cultural Politics of Theater Reform 81
Chapter Five: The State, Public Order, and Local Theater in South China 107
Part III: Local Theater, Transnational Arena
Chapter Six: Popular Theater in the Diaspora 131
Chapter Seven: Theater as Transnational Business 152
Chapter Eight: Theater and the Immigrant Public 170
Conclusion 189
List of Characters 197
Notes 205
Bibliography 241
Index 257
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