The Opera Troupe

Name: The Opera Troupe
ISBN: 9787301148280

Fu JinPeking University Press · ChinaAug 2025

4.3

Word count: 204K words
Chapters: 24
ISBN: 9787301148280

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Summary

This is the author's landmark work from eight years of field research on Taizhou's folk theater troupes. From the unique perspective of a theater theorist, it describes in detail the history and current state of Taizhou troupes, their internal structure, the lifestyle of performers and staff, their economic operations, and their distinctive repertoire and performance forms. It objectively analyzes how Taizhou troupes exist and are internally constituted, thereby revealing the cultural roots of their tenacious vitality.

Editor's review

"Xiban" (The Opera Troupe) is a research monograph by Fu Jin based on eight years of continuous field research on folk opera troupes in Taizhou, published by Peking University Press. Its value lies in observing the troupe as a living whole: history and current state, internal composition, the lifestyle of performers and staff, economic operation, and the distinctive repertoire and performance forms are all brought into view. With a theater theorist's eye, the author combines meticulous description with objective analysis of how troupes exist and are internally structured, then asks what cultural roots explain their tenacious vitality. Such research fills a gap that desk-bound literature struggles to capture—the living scene of folk performance—showing readers how troupes sustain themselves between the market and rural society. As you read, it is worth setting the chapters on economic operation and lifestyle alongside those on repertoire and performance, to grasp how organizational systems and artistic form move together. For anyone concerned with folk theater, intangible cultural heritage, and fieldwork methods, this is a solid work that carries the warmth of the field while offering an analytical framework.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Theater and xiqu researchers seeking first-hand field material on folk troupes
Intangible heritage and folklore practitioners concerned with the survival mechanisms of folk performance organizations
Anthropology and sociology readers interested in field research writing
Taizhou and Zhejiang local culture enthusiasts wanting to understand local troupe ecology

Not a good fit for

Ordinary xiqu audiences who only want to read scripts or reviews—this book focuses on organization and operation
Readers expecting a comprehensive history of xiqu—this book is a case study of Taizhou alone
Readers who prefer purely theoretical reasoning—this book is primarily field description

Reading tips

Read the introduction first to understand the eight-year fieldwork timeline and methods, then move into the chapters
Read the chapters on economic operation and performers' lives together to understand the practical logic of troupe survival
When you reach the sections on repertoire and performance forms, recall the earlier organizational composition and cross-reference
If you are familiar with the Taizhou dialect or local opera, you can check the book's accounts against your own viewing experience

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

版权信息
序
引言方法与缘起
第一章历史与现状
第一节历史和语境
第二节戏班的数量与布局
第三节活动季节与场所
第四节文化部门的管理
第二章戏班的构成与生活
第一节戏班规模
第二节班主
第三节戏班里的生活
第四节演职员的来源及流动
第三章戏班的经济运作
第一节戏路与戏价
第二节放戏和写戏
第三节演职员的收入与开支
第四章表演形式与演出剧目
第一节戏单
第二节路头戏
第三节剧本戏
第四节附加的剧、节目
后记
再版后记

FAQ

Does this book discuss Taizhou troupes or Chinese xiqu as a whole?

The book focuses on folk opera troupes in Taizhou, the result of the author's eight years of continuous field research. It describes in detail the history and current state of local troupes, their internal composition, lifestyle, economic operation, and performance forms, and from this analyzes the cultural roots of their vitality. It is not a general history of Chinese xiqu.

Can readers without a theater background follow it?

Yes. Much of the book consists of concrete description of troupe organization, life, and performance; it is narrative in style and does not rely on specialist terminology. It is best to start with the descriptive chapters and use context to understand concepts of repertoire and role types—there is no need to study xiqu theory first.

What is special about the fieldwork?

The author enters the troupe's world from the perspective of a theater theorist, observing over eight years. He records both history and current conditions and analyzes internal composition and economic operation. This long-term, holistic fieldwork means the troupe is not split into isolated repertoire or systems but presented as a living organizational form.

Does the book discuss why troupes survive over the long term?

Yes. The author objectively analyzes how Taizhou troupes exist and are internally structured, and from this reveals the cultural roots of their tenacious vitality. Readers may focus on how economic operation, performers' lifestyles, and performance forms fit together—there lie the practical answers to troupe survival.

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About the author

Fu Jin Author · Chinese · 1956

Fu Jin was born in Quzhou, Zhejiang, in 1956. He holds a doctorate in literature and is a professor at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, director of the Chinese Drama Research Center at the Central Academy of Drama, and a former professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Liberal Arts, Nanjing University. His research focuses on theatre theory and aesthetics, with attention to the development of modern and contemporary Chinese drama, as well as film, television, and folk literature. His works examine the history and theoretical issues of Chinese opera through the concrete ecology of opera troupes and stage practice. Representative works include Opera Troupe, On the Art of Chinese Opera, and Lectures on Art Aesthetics, along with A History of Twentieth-Century Chinese Drama, A History of Chinese Drama, and The Power of the Grassroots. His writing combines scholarly rigor with readability and has had a lasting influence on the history and theory of Chinese opera and art aesthetics.