Shashibiya: Staging Shakespeare in China

Shashibiya is an intriguing discussion of the levels of ’filtering’ that any Shakespeare performance in China undergoes, and a close examination of how these filters reflect the continually-changing political, social and cultural practices. The study traces the history of Shakespeare performance in China over the past hundred years, focussing in detail on eleven productions in mainstream, operatic and experimental forms in the post-Mao era. Li Ruru’s intimate knowledge of her subject makes this the most up-to-date research available on staging Shakespeare in China.

Li Ruru is from a famous theatre family and experienced the Cultural Revolution during her teenage years. Later she acquired B.A. and M.A. degrees in drama and literature at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, then left China in the mid-1980s to pursue her doctoral studies and research in Chinese, comparative drama and cross-cultural theatre studies. She is now Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Leeds.