Chinese Ghost Theatre
Abstract
Around five millennia ago the Chinese developed spectacular rituals concerning afterlife beliefs. Funerals could always been perceived as theatre-like cultural performances. The ancestor cult is a base for Chinese morality. Theatrical performances are one of the means of ghosts worship. Until recently the performance of mourning could have been considered a social spectacle.
The classical music theatre of China (xiqu) constitutes a vivid illustration of beliefs in constant commune with souls of the dead. Traditional dramatic literature provides many examples of female-ghost characters. They are usually protagonists, who put a moral thesis forward and convey the educational message of the theatre piece. Actors’ make-up as well as theatre puppets have presumably funeral origins. Afterlife beliefs could be regarded as one of the sources of Chinese theatre.
Keywords
theatre; drama; cultural performance; ritual; funeral; mourning; ghosts; ancestors
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