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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.Chinese Shadow Theatre includes several rare transcriptions of oral performances, including a didactic play on the eighteen levels of Hell, and Investiture of the Gods, a sacred saga, and translations of three rare, hand-copied shadow plays featuring religious themes and women warrior characters.Chen examines the relationship between historical and fictional women warriors and those in military romances and shadow plays to demonstrate the significance of both printed works and oral transmission in the diffusion of popular culture. She also shows that traditional folk theatre is a subject for serious academic study by linking it to recent scholarship on drama, popular religion, and popular culture.

Puppet plays, Chinese --- Religion in literature. --- Shadow shows --- Women soldiers in literature. --- History and criticism. --- History. --- Religion dans la littérature --- Femmes militaires dans la littérature --- Théâtre d'ombres --- Théâtre de marionnettes chinois --- History --- History and criticism --- Histoire --- Histoire et critique --- Théâtre d'ombres --- Théâtre de marionnettes chinois --- Religion dans la littérature --- Femmes militaires dans la littérature --- Chinese drama --- Religion in literature --- Women in popular culture --- Popular culture --- Women --- Chinese shadows --- Gallanty-shows --- Shadow pantomimes and plays --- Shadow plays --- Shadow puppet plays --- Shadow puppetry --- Shadow theater --- Puppet theater --- Chinese puppet plays --- Chinese literature --- Religion in drama --- Religion in poetry --- Public opinion

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Marionette puppet theater has a rich and ancient history in China, extending back to the Han dynasty and reaching its heyday in the Qing dynasty. While this art form is nearly extinct in northern China today, a handful of troupes in Heyang County in Shaanxi Province, which claims to be the birthplace of marionette theater, continue to perform skits and scenes from Heyang's earlier, broader marionette theater repertoire. In this book, Fan Pen Li Chen has collected and translated rare transcriptions of some of the most popular of these plays. Her insightful translations include a rich variety of genres and highlight memorable characters that range from manipulative aristocrats, poor Confucian scholars, and a woman warrior to Baldy Guo, the iconic clown of puppet theater. As the only work in English about the puppet theater of northern China, these translations provide valuable information about the history, religion, social roles, and popular culture of that region. Detailed introductions and annotations for each play, as well as an extensive bibliography, are also included.

Puppet plays, Chinese --- S03/0605 --- S16/0340 --- Chinese puppet plays --- Chinese drama --- China: Geography, description and travel--Shaanxi --- China: Literature and theatrical art--Shadow plays, puppet theatre