2000/03/01 by Min Tian · 27 citations
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · Psychology · Neuroscience · #Theatre and Performance Studies #Japanese History and Culture #Asian Culture and Media Studies #Perception #Psychology #Gender studies #Aesthetics #History #Visual arts #Art #Sociology #Neuroscience
paper · doi:10.1353/atj.2000.0007
published in Asian Theatre Journal 17(1), 78-97 (University of Hawaii Press)
openalex publication_date 2000/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
The art of male dan —specialists in female roles—is one of the most important issues in traditional Chinese theatre, especially in jingju (Beijing or Peking opera). In this article, Min Tian considers the problem from a combined gender-sociocultural-historical perspective. Tian traces the convention's historical development, examines its contemporary status, and deals with such issues as the dynamics of sex and the paradox of acting, which are central to the art of the male dan . Not only does he explore modern perceptions of the art of female impersonation with respect to the tradition of the male dan , but he also discusses similar traditions, most notably that of the classical Japanese theatre.