Inside Chinese Theater

"In the nineteenth century, opera emerged as a Cantonese regional culture and soon followed the Chinese diaspora to San Francisco. Nancy Yunhwa Rao brings to light the ways Chinese theaters became woven into the financial, political, social, and family life of diaspora communities in California and beyond. Chinese opera theater found brick-and-mortar homes with San Francisco theaters like the Hing Chuen Yuen and the Donn Qui Yuen. But troupes had already taken Chinese theater to railroad workers, mining towns, and cities with established diaspora communities. As Chinese theater became part of California and San Francisco culture, popular Chinese actors advocated for their art alongside appeals for civil rights. Rao draws on personal accounts and artifacts to place theater within the everyday lives of Chinese people. She also describes the costumes, singing, staging, and storytelling that impacted mainstream reception and influenced how Chinese communities saw themselves. Inside Chinese Theater is an expert and eloquent journey into the early decades of Chinese opera in America"--