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WOMEN IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE THEATER: THE HEROINE'S PLAY. By Qian Ma. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. 2005. 315 pp. Hardcover $69.95; Paperback $39.95.
Given China's rising status in the global power structure, it is surprising how lew plays from its extraordinarily rich performance traditions have been translated into English. The selection of unabridged and/or newer translations is more limited still. Thus Qian Ma's new anthology of English translations of xiqu (Chinese opera) plays is a welcome addition to existing resources. Sharing the common element of a female protagonist, the six plays are intended both as a general introduction to xiqu's, dramatic literature and as a more focused investigation of the portrayal of female characters in xiqu over several centuries. Though the first of these goals is incompletely addressed by the introductory material and included plays, the individual translations are engagingly readable and provide a fascinating overview of female characters in traditional xiqu.
The collection includes five plays in the zaju (variety play) xiqu form with one or two plays representing the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. First is Injustice to Dou E (Don E yuan), a Yuan zaju in which the ghost of a woman executed for a murder she didn't commit returns to demand justice. Next is Qiannu's Soul Leaves Her Body (Qiannu li him), a Yuan zaju in which a young woman's soul travels to be with her fiancé after her parents call off their engagement. Third is Mulan (Ci Mulan), a surprisingly earthy Ming zaju based on the story made famous by Disney in which a young woman in male disguise answers a military conscription in place of her aging father. Fourth is Spring Pavilion (Lin chun ge), an early Qing zaju in which a female general, a female court scholar, and an Imperial concubine (none of whom know they are celestial beings temporarily in human form) struggle in vain to protect the nation from invasion. Fifth is Laughter in a Flour Batrel (Miangang xiao), a later Qing zaju farce in which a prostitute gets permission to marry a poor scholar, then cleverly prevents several corrupt officials from demanding a last sexual encounter before the wedding.
The final selection is a transcription of a contemporary performance of...