Theatre as Business: A Study of Shanxi Merchants’ Sponsorship of Theatrical Performances in Qing China

In Qing-dynasty China, a guildhall theatre (huiguan juchang 會館劇場) was the center for a merchant guild’s recreational activities. This article examines Shanxi merchants’ sponsorship of theatrical performances in such merchant guildhalls. It analyzes the ways in which Shanxi merchants established guildhalls and stages, invited troupes to perform in and on them, and provided financial support for these performances during fellow traders’ assemblies and temple fairs. Primary sources employed in this study include but are not limited to literati jottings, fictional accounts, historical accounts of Shanxi merchants’ commercial activities, and guild regulations. Based on these materials, this study argues that for Shanxi merchants, sponsoring theatrical performances provided not only a form of entertainment but also trade benefits, as the sponsorship functioned as a tool for disciplining and educating guild members and for promoting the guilds’ reputation. More importantly, the sponsorship contributed to the proliferation of various forms of Shanxi regional theatre and to the emergence of new theatrical styles. This article proves that there was a reciprocal relationship between commercial activities and the development of theatrical performances in Qing-dynasty China.