Lucia di Lammermoor (拉美莫爾的露琪亞) and The White-Haired Girl (白毛女): Opera in China and the Perpetuation of Negative Narratives of Mentally Disabled Women

This article aims to examine the perpetuation of negative stereotypes of disabled women within contemporary Chinese society through the vehicle of geju 歌劇, western-style or -influenced opera. I shall show that ableist elements are the main drivers behind the plots of both The White- Haired Girl (Bai Mao Nü 白毛女) and Lucia di Lammermoor (Lameimoer de Luqiya.拉美莫爾的露琪亞), and that these seemingly disparate works are united both by their particular depictions of “mad women.” I shall argue that the perception of both women and people with mental disabilities in general has the potential to stagnate within this art form as long as these works are promoted and performed in the current manner. Furthermore, I suggest that failure to critique geju performances through a disability studies lens may perpetuate both mainland Chinese and western stereotypes in society more broadly. I will first give a brief overview of the contemporary musicological understanding of opera, sexism and ableism. I will then outline the plot and historical contexts of the two case-study works. In my discussion I shall explore how both works are presented in mainland China today, and provide a feminist and disability studies critique of their “meaning” with regards to the status of women in this region now and in the immediate future.