From the West to the East: The Spread and Alienation of Fancy-dress Skating in Modern China

Abstract

Fancy-dress skating was originally a comprehensive cultural activity integrating entertainment, social contact, and sports, introduced to China from the West in modern times. Since its introduction in China, it has spread widely throughout Beijing, and has undergone considerable variations. Taking Beijing as an example, this study systematically analyses and explains the development and variation of fancy-dress skating in China which was introduced by the West from the perspectives of public social opinion and organizational participants. Its dissemination and variations are typical examples of cross-cultural communication of the Western culture in the context of modern Chinese mass communication. It is also the epitome of the diversified interactions between entertainment and society. In modern Chinese history, fancy-dress skating gradually resonated with historical themes and finally took a new cultural form similar to, but different from what was originally based on the Western contexts.