Shifting Gender Roles: Male Dan in Chinese Theatre

Abstract

In this thesis I examine male dan, male actors who perform female roles in Chinese theatre. I argue that due to the function of theatre as a key site of public discourse, the rise and fall of male dan actors illustrates changes in the social zeitgeist of China, especially the politics of gender and sexuality. The rise to prominence of male dan actors during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1636–1911) dynasties was partly due to their artistry, but it also reflected a homoerotic sensibility amongst the scholar-élite and well-off patrons. Following the fall of the Qing dynasty male dan came to be seen as remnants of the past. In response, prominent male dan and their supporters redefined the role and developed its artistry, making the female roles in jingju accord with their ideal of “new women.” Their use of qiao, or stilted footwear, was an integral part of this redefinition of the role, but following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China this became the focus for renewed attacks on male dan. The Chinese Communist Party equated qiao with bound feet, a “feudal” remnant that had no place in the new China. The Party-State fostered a rigid gender hierarchy that constrained the space for male dan, and it was only by “aestheticizing” the cross-dressing integral to their artistry that they have been able to escape the accusation that their artistry is nothing more than a manifestation of deviance.