Accidental encounters : a journey of developing the subjectivity of Taiwanâs contemporary xiqu forms
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: Theatre and Film, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Liu, Yu-ning
issued: 2025-09-04T20:06:42Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: This dissertation, âAccidental Encounters: A Journey of Developing the Subjectivity of Taiwanâs Contemporary Xiqu Forms,â examines how three non-indigenous traditional Chinese theater formsâjingju (Peking opera), yuju (Henan opera), and kunqu (Kun opera)âdeveloped unique trajectories after their transplantation to Taiwan. It explores how Taiwanâs emergence as a vibrant cultural environment over the past century has shaped the global presence and evolving interpretations of xiqu. Moving beyond conventional nationalist historiographies and text-centric analyses, this research employs performance analysis, interviews with actors, and archival work to trace the fluid cultural evolution of these xiqu forms. In doing so, it challenges entrenched notions of Chineseness, authenticity, and timeless tradition commonly associated with Chinese opera. Instead, it reveals that Taiwanâs political, economic, and social transformationsâcombined with linguistic diversity, cultural heterogeneity, and exposure to Westernizationâhave reshaped these imported forms. Jingju, yuju, and kunqu in Taiwan thus stand not as static cultural relics but as dynamic, adaptive genres that engage in continuous negotiation with their environment. The findings highlight that xiquâs hybridity and transnational potential undermine the idea of a fixed, monolithic âChineseâ identity. Taiwanâs recontextualization of these forms opens new possibilities for understanding them as globally relevant performing arts rather than as artifacts confined to a single cultural or geographical frame. By foregrounding their capacity for reinvention, this dissertation illuminates how xiquâs aesthetic and cultural significance can transcend the constraints of rigid East/West binaries and nationalist claims, thereby contributing to ongoing discussions of decolonization, cultural hybridization, and global performative exchange.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/92240
note: Accidental encounters: a journey of developing the subjectivity of Taiwanâs contemporary xiqu forms by Yu-ning Liu B. A., National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan), 2010 M. A., Taipei National University of the Arts (Taiwan), 2013 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Theatre) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2025 © Yu-ning Liu, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: Accidental encounters: a journey of developing the subjectivity of Taiwanâs contemporary xiqu forms submitted by Yu-ning Liu in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre Examining Committee: Dr. Siyuan Liu, Professor, Theatre Studies, UBC Supervisor Dr. Catherine Swatek, Associate Professor Emerita, Asian Studies, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Lily Wong, Associate Professor, Literature, American University Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Alison Bailey, Assistant Professor, Asian Studies, UBC University Examiner Dr. Keren Zaiontz, Assistant Professor, Theatre Studies, UBC University Examiner iii Abstract This dissertation, âAccidental Encounters: A Journey of Developing the Subjectivity of Taiwanâs Xiqu Forms,â examines how three non-indigenous traditional Chinese theater formsâjingju (Peking opera), yuju (Henan opera), and kunqu (Kun opera)âdeveloped unique trajectories after their transplantation to Taiwan. It explores how Taiwanâs emergence as a vibrant cultural environment over the past century has shaped the global presence and evolving interpretations of xiqu. Moving beyond conventional nationalist historiographies and text-centric analyses, this research employs performance analysis, interviews with actors, and archival work to trace the fluid cultural evolution of these xiqu form…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0450036
language: eng
degree discipline: Theatre
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Liu, 1964 November 7- Siyuan
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/92240