Cross-gender china: across yin-yang, across cultures, and beyond jingju

Abstract

Utilizing nandan, or “male-to-female cross-gender performers” (p. 2) to impersonate female roles is a time-honored practice on the stage of xiqu (indigenous Chinese theatre). The prototype of nandan dates back to the use of fake women (nong jia furen) initiated by the late Tang actors;¹ while nandan, as a considerable force in the theatre, was not full-fledged until the historic development of the chuanqi (literally “transforming of the marvellous”, romance) style of xiqu during the Ming period (1368-1644).