encyclopedia of contemporary chinese culture

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
CONTEMPORARY CHINESE
CULTURE
‘Made in China’ has become a tag familiar to all Westerners, but China’s shift to a
market economy in the early 1980s released not only the industrial but also the vast
creative energies of China’s citizens to produce a cultural renaissance unique in the
contemporary world. In the last quarter-century, communist ideology has been in rapid
retreat and the cultural resources of China’s pre-socialist past have been rediscovered and
combined with current influences from home and abroad to construct competing
responses to China’s everchanging present.
The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture is the first reference book to
digest this vast cultural output and make it accessible to the English-speaking world. The
Encyclopedia contains nearly 1,200 entries written by an international team of specialists
to enable readers to explore a range of diverse and fascinating cultural subjects from
prisons to rock groups, underground Christian churches to TV talk shows and radio
hotlines. Experimental artists with names such as ‘Big-Tailed Elephant’ and ‘The Pond
Society’ nestle between the covers alongside entries on lotteries, gay cinema, political
jokes, sex shops, theme parks, ‘New Authoritarians’ and ‘little emperors’. These, as well
as more traditional subjects and biographical entries, are indexed under the following
eighteen categories for easy thematic reference:
● architecture and space
● education
● ethnicity and ethnic identity
● fashion and design
● film
● food and drink
● health
● language
● literature
● media

● music
● performing arts
● political culture
● religion
● society
● sports and recreation
● visual arts
● women and gender
While the focus of the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture is on mainland
China since 1980, the Encyclopedia also includes longer, specially commissioned entries
on various aspects of contemporary culture in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most entries
include full and up-to-date references for further reading, making the Encyclopedia an
indispensable reference tool for all teachers and students of contemporary Chinese
culture. It is also likely to be warmly embraced as an invaluable source of cultural context
by tourists, journalists, business people and others who visit China.
Edward L.Davis is Associate Professor of History at the University of Hawai’i, USA.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
CONTEMPORARY CHINESE
CULTURE
Edited by Edward L.Davis







LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2005 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York,
NY 10016, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“ To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis
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© 2005 Routledge
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from
the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
ISBN 0-203-64506-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-67674-2 (Adobe e-Reader Format)
ISBN 0-415-24129-4 (Print Edition)
Contents



Editorial team


viii


List of contributors

xi


Preface


xxvi


The Visual Art entries


xxx


Classified entry list


xxxii


Entries A-Z
1




Index
1030

Editorial team
General editor
Edward L.Davis
University of Hawai’i
Consultant editors
Geremie R.Barmé
Australian National University
Francesca Dal Lago
McGill University
Kenneth Dean
McGill University
Kirk Denton
Ohio State University
Harriet Evans
University of Westminster
Leung Ping-kwan
Lingnan University
Perry Link
Princeton University
Colin Mackerras
Griffith University
Alan R.Thrasher
University of British Columbia
Wang Jing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jeffrey Wasserstrom
Indiana University
Yue Daiyun
Peking University

Yue Ming-bao
University of Hawai’i
Paola Zamperini
Amherst College,
University of California, Berkeley

Contributors
Daniel B.Abramson
University of Washington
Fiorella Allio
Université de Provence, Marseilles
Alain Arrault
École Française d’Extrême-Orient, Beijing
Ying Bao
University of California, Los Angeles
Nimrod Baranovitch
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A.W.Barber
University of Calgary
Maria Barbieri
University of Hong Kong
Geremie R.Barmé
Australian National University
Daniel Bays
Calvin College
Robert Bernell
Publisher, Timezone 8, Beijing
Michael Berry
University of California, Santa Barbara
Brigitte Berthier-Baptandier

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
Sébastien Billioud
University of Paris 7
Susan D.Blum
University of Notre Dame
Mathieu Borysevicz
The Church of Unintentional Wisdom (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and mabz productions
Yomi Braester
University of Washington
Susan Brownell
University of Missouri-St Louis
Cai Shuqin
Bowdoin College
Chang Hui-mei
University of Hawai’i
Emily Chao
Pitzer College
Isabelle Charleux
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
Adam Yuet Chau
Skidmore College
Timothy Cheek
University of British Columbia
Chen Jianhua
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Lily Chen
University of Sheffield
Nancy N.Chen
University of South Carolina
Tina Mai Chen

University of Manitoba
Chen Xiaomei
Ohio State University
Matthew Chew
Princeton University
Chou Yuting
independent scholar, Madeira (Portugal)
Matthew Clark
beijingband.com
Paul Clark
University of Auckland
Donald Clarke
University of Washington
Philip Clart
University of Missouri-Columbia
Jeffrey W.Cody
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Claude Comtois
University of Montreal
Claire Conceison
University of Michigan
Ralph Covell
Denver Seminary
Remy Cristini
Sinological Institute, Leiden
Cui Shuqin
Bowdoin College, Southern Methodist University
Annie Curien
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
Francesca Dal Lago

McGill University
Sarah Dauncey
Sheffield University
Ursula Dauth
Queensland Theatre Company, Australia
Gloria Davies
Monash University
Edward L.Davis
University of Hawai’i
Jeroen de Kloet
University of Amsterdam
Kenneth Dean
McGill University
Frank Dikötter
School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London
Stephanie Hemelryk Donald
University of Technology, Sydney
Du Wenwei
Vassar College
Du Yaxiong
Hangzhou Normal University
Thomas DuBois
National University of Singapore
Isabelle Duchesne
New York University
Mercedes M.Dujunco
New York University
Bettina S.Entell
Director/Producer, Mediamondo Productions
Megan Evans

University of Hawai’i
Frederik Fällman
Stockholm University
C.Cindy Fan
University of California, Los Angeles
Fan Pen Chen
University at Albany, State University of New York
Judith Farquhar
University of North Carolina
Mary Farquhar
Griffith University
James Farrer
Sophia University
Megan M.Ferry
Union College
Peter M.Foggin
University of Montreal
Fu Hongchu
Smith College
Gao Minglu
University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Ge Congmin
University of Leeds
Vincent Goossaert
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
Edward Gunn
Cornell University
Nancy Guy
University of California, San Diego
John Christopher Hamm

University of Washington
Han Kuo-Huang
Northern Illinois University
Han Xiaorong
Butler University
He Donghui
University of British Columbia
Ho Puay-peng
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Lisa M.Hoffman
University of Washington
David Holm
University of Melbourne
Hu Mingrong
Chongqing Technology and Business University
Hu Ying
University of California, Irvine
Huang Yibing
Connecticut College
William Jankowiak
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Maria Jaschok
University of Oxford
Lionel M.Jensen
University of Notre Dame
Jia Wenshan
State University of New York at New Paltz
Alice Ming Wai Jim
Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
Jin Ping

State University of New York, New Paltz
Perry Johansson
Columbia University
Andrew F.Jones
University of California, Berkeley
Ellen R.Judd
University of Manitoba
Eric I.Karchmer
University of North Carolina
Paul R.Katz
Academia Sinica
Ke Ping
Nanjing University
Michael Keane
Queensland University of Technology
Scott Kennedy
University of Indiana
Kim Kwang-ok
Seoul National University
Jason Kindopp
George Washington University
Andrew Kipnis
Australian National University
Carla Kirkwood
Southwestern College
Deirdre Sabina Knight
Smith College
Martina Köppel-Yang
Independent art historian
Kuo Wen-hua

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lars Laamann
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
John Lagerwey
École Pratique des Hautes-Études
Stefan Landsberger
University of Leiden
Kevin Latham
School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London
Beatrice Leanza
CAAW (China Art Archives and Warehouse), Contemporary and Experimental Art
Centre, Beijing
Joanna C.Lee
University of Hong Kong
Lily Xiao Hong Lee
University of Sydney
Leung Laifong
University of Alberta
Steven W.Lewis
Rice University
Li, Dian
University of Arizona
Li Jiwen
Central Academy of Drama, Beijing
Li Ruru
University of Leeds
Li Xianting
independent scholar and curator, Beijing
Li Zhang
Northern Illinois University

Lin Wei-yü
University of Hawai’i
Birgit Linder
Peking University
Alan P.L.Liu
University of California, Santa Barbara
Liu Chang
University of Mary Washington
Gordon Liu
University of North Carolina
Liu Meng
Chair, Department of Social Work Women’s College, Beijing
Rosa Lombardi
Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Kam Louie
University of Queensland
Eriberto P.Lozada, Jr
Butler University
Lu Hongwei
University of Oregon
Colin Mackerras
Griffith University
Meg Maggio
Director, CourtYard Gallery
Paul Manfredi
Pacific Lutheran University
Meng Qing
Université de Montréal
Miao Pu
University of Hawai’i

Ming Fengying
California Institute of Technology
Kalpana Misra
University of Tulsa
Barbara Mittler
University of Heidelberg
Thomas Moran
Middlebury College
Christina Neder
Ruhr Universität Bochum
Cynthia Y.Ning
University of Hawai’i
Lucie Olivová
Palacky University
David A.Palmer
École Française d’Extrême-Orient, Hong Kong
Clifton W.Pannell
University of Georgia
Simon Patton
University of Queensland
Veronica Pearson
University of Hong Kong
Peng Hsiao-yen
Academia Sinica
Morgan Perkins
State University of New York, Potsdam
Michael R.Phillips
Director, National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, Huilongguan Hospital,
Beijing
Cesare Polenghi

University of Hawai’i
Judy Polumbaum
University of Iowa
Pitman Potter
University of British Columbia
William Powell
University of California, Santa Barbara
Qian Zhijian
Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
Qiu Peipei
Vassar College
Dennis Rea
musician, composer
Ren Hai
Bowling Green State University
Bérénice Reynaud
School of Film/Video, CalArts
Claire Roberts
Senior curator, Asian Decorative Arts and Design, Powerhourse Museum, Sydney
Carlos Rojas
Columbia University
Sang Tze-lan
University of Oregon
Louisa Schein
Rutgers, State University of New Jersey
Jonathan Schwartz
State University of New York at New Paltz
Simon Shen
University of Oxford
Michael Shoenhals

Lunds University
Shui Jingjun
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Henan Branch
Cathy Silber
Williams University
Jerome Silbergeld
University of Washington
Richard VanNess Simmons
Rutgers, State University of New Jersey
Richard J.Smith
Rice University
Richard B.Stamps
Oakland University
Andreas Steen
University of Berlin
Daniel B.Stevenson
University of Kansas
Jonathan P.J.Stock
University of Sheffield
Marina Svensson
Lunds University
Michael Szonyi
University of Toronto
Tan Hwee-san
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Tang Di
Writer and curator, Beijing
Tao Hongyin
University of California, Los Angeles
Alan R.Thrasher

University of British Columbia
Martine Torfs
independent scholar and translator, contemporary Chinese literature
Marion Torrance
Medical Director, Plateau Perspectives
L.L.Tsai
Harvard University
Sue-Han Ueng
National Taipei University
Jonathan Unger
Australian National University
Robin Visser
Valparaiso University
Natascha Vittinghoff
University of Frankfurt
Alan L.M.Wachman
Tufts University
Margaret Baptist Wan
University of Notre Dame
Michael Weidong Wan
University of Notre Dame
Wang Chang
University of Illinois
Wang Jing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Wang Qi
University of California, Los Angeles
Wang Xiaolu
Sichuan University
Wang Xiaoming

Wang Yiman
Duke University
Eduardo Welsh
independent scholar, Madeira (Portugal)
Timothy Weston
University of Colorado
Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak
University of Hawai’i
Sabine Wilms
University of Arizona
James Dale Wilson
Columbia University
Cynthia P.Wong
Columbia University
Linda Wong
City University of Hong Kong
Helen Xiaoyan Wu
University of Toronto
Xu Xiaoqun
Francis Marion University
Yang Guobin
University of Hawai’i
Yang Lan
University of Leeds
Mayfair Mei-hui Yang
University of California, Santa Barbara
Nora Yeh
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Yip Ka-che
University of Maryland

Yu Shiao-ling
Oregon State University
Yuan Haiwang
West Kentucky University
Yue Gang
University of North Carolina
Rik Zak
Alberta College of Art and Design
Paola Zamperini
Amherst College, University of California, Berkeley
Everett Zhang
University of California, Berkeley
Zhang Yulong
Ohio State University