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BEIJING OPERA COSTUMES: The Visual Communication of Character and Culture. By Alexandra B. Bonds. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2008. xvi, 350 pp. (Tables, figures, photos.) US$50.00, cloth. ISBN 978-08248-2956-8.
This is by far the most comprehensive English-language reference guide to the universe of Beijing opera (Jingju) costumes, and as such is a major accomplishment and a valuable resource for interested laymen and even experts in the field of Chinese theater stuthes. The terminology and symbolic codes of Beijing opera are complex and obscure, even for the average native Chinese speaker, and Bond's ability to translate the terms and formal lexicons into accessible English is impressive. Also of great help in this task are the nearly 200 well-captioned color photographs. Beijing opera is a drama of role types, and there are fairly strict rules that dictate what kinds of character can wear which sorts of garments, hence costume is a crucial medium for imparting basic character and plot information. Bond provides a detailed compendium of the genre's costume elements, while also offering...