Musical Response to Shakespeare in Greater China

Abstract

Shakespeare and his works began making their way to Asia through diplomatic and missionary channels some two centuries after the Bard’s death. Through translations and adaptations, Asian countries began to learn about his works and what they represent (culture, lifestyle, ideology), and such activities soon began to interact with local cultures and practices of musical performances: Chinese operatic Shakespeare, Japanese Nō Shakespeare, Korean shamanistic Shakespeare, to name but a few. With a focus on Shakespeare in China, this chapter begins with a summary of the history of Chinese perceptions, responses, and (re)creations of Shakespeare. The introductory overview serves as a socio-historical context for a discussion of mass-market musical responses to Shakespeare and his works in contemporary China. The author investigates how popular musical forms and modes, in particular Mandopop and Cantopop, have embraced and given new shape and voice to Shakespearean works.