Role Types in The Paired Fish, a Chuanqi Play

Chuanqi drama is a sophisticated literary and theatrical form of late imperial China. Jing Shen shows us an interesting example of chuanqi metatheatre. Her essay investigates the relationship of mimesis and theatricality in the chuanqi play Bimuyu (The Paired Fish) by analyzing the tension between the role types and the actor-characters—an approach that gives us insights into socially constructed categories of identity.