The Metamorphosis of Tianxian pei: Local Opera under the Revolution (1949-1956)

stunning, but also raises the question who these countless translations are intended for and what purpose these translations actually serve. In the case of The Resurrected Skeleton, for instance, most scholars of Chinese literature and philosophy will already know the Zhuangzi tale, if not by reading the original text then through Stephen Owen’s Remembrances. As such one might wonder: is being familiar with the singular, classical text not enough? Idema’s answer to this question is obviously no and it is worth reminding ourselves of why this is so. By insisting on translating text after text and offering us not only a single, tasteful classic but also the multiple, sometimes less elevated variations upon a classic, Idema invites us to investigate the Chinese tradition, not simply as a series of unique canonical texts written by the literati few, but rather as an immensely variegated, often riotous, and at times delightfully scatological chorus of different voices. As such, a volume such as The Resurrected Skeleton invites us not to abandon the idea of a shared tradition, but rather, by exploring the multiple generic and ideological variations upon a single, brief anecdote, it asks us to discern the incredibly diversity that together constitute a multiplicity of Chinese traditions.