Daphne P. Lei, Uncrossing the Borders: Performing Chinese in Gendered (Trans)Nationalism

Abstract

The history of Imperial China is, in some sense, also the history of women crossing borders, sacrificing themselves to protect their homeland from “barbarian” attacks. Chinese theatre has no shortage of plays featuring such heroic characters. Daphne P. Lei’s Uncrossing the Borders carefully examines the long-held appeal of border-crossing drama on the Chinese stage through the lenses of gender and (trans)nationalism.