pt. 1. The history and culture of Chinese shadow theatre -- 1. An introduction to shadow theatre -- 2. History and myths -- 3. The role of religion -- 4. Women warriors in shadow plays -- pt. 2. Three Chinese shadow scripts -- "Three opening blessings" -- The eighteen levels of hell -- The Yellow River magic formation -- App 1. Suzi : non-standard orthography -- App 2. Collections of shadow playscripts -- App 3. Main plays of the various Chinese shadow traditions -- App 4. Shadow plays featuring women warriors
In her study of Chinese shadow theatre Fan Pen Li Chen documents and corrects misconceptions about this once-popular art form. Drawing on extensive research and fieldwork, she argues that these plays served a mainly religious function during the Qing dynasty and that the appeal of women warrior characters reflected the lower classes' high tolerance for the unorthodox and subversive
