"DIRTY THEATRE" AND REFORM: HUAGUXI BEFORE AND AFTER 1949 IN HUNAN PROVINCE, CHINA

Huaguxi is a form of regional Chinese theatre in Hunan province, south-central China. Based on fieldwork conducted in 2008, this essay examines the issue of "yinxi" (dirty theatre) in huaguxi history and two types of performing groups of huaguxi after 1949: the state-sponsored troupe and the private troupe. I posit that the reason behind the label "dirty theatre" is the conflict between its performance style and content and the aesthetics and ideologies promoted by the ruling class. In addition, the social context and itinerant nature of huaguxi were connected with the vagabond culture that was considered a threat to the regime's stability. I also put forward that the conceptions of the state-sponsored professional troupe and the private amateur troupe in huaguxi were formed through political intervention after 1949, and their performance styles were imbued with meanings and vaules that impact social behavior.