About the Organization and Types of Analysis
The site is organized around the thirty or so plays that are discussed in and How To Read Chinese Drama in Chinese: A Language Companion and their afterlives in theatrical, filmic, and other media. Each play is discussed briefly on an introductory page and then different productions are given their own separate section. Typically, we provide text, images, and some video clips.
Given the dynamic and malleable nature of dramatic texts in China, virtually all later renditions of these plays take the form of adaptations. The exact nature of the changes made depend on many factors--the producers, the audience, and the historical circumstances among others. At the same time, the respective media--live traditional theater, film, and modern spoken theater among others--also decisively shape the aesthetic form and the social significance of individual versions.
For each of the plays analyzed, we provide selective topical analysis across all its adaptations. For the six plays features in How To Read Chinese Drama in Chinese, these topics partially correlate to the exercises attached to the annotated excerpts. Currently, individual chapters offer the following focal points for the commentary of the associated productions:
Chapter 1: The Orphan of Zhao (How To Convey Dramatic Tension Through Props)
Chapter 2: The Story of the Western Wing (How To Create a Character Through Voice Effects and Gestures)
Chapter 3: Top Graduate Zhang Xie (How To Create Different Kinds of Humor)
Chapter 4: The Lute (How To Express Emotion Through Singing Techniques)
Chapter 5: The Female Mulan Takes the Place of Her Father (How To Mark Gender in Performance)
Chapter 6: The Peony Pavilion (How To Use Instrumental Music for Dramatic Effect)
For more broadly focused analysis of individual productions, we refer the user to "Further Readings" where available.