The White-Haired Girl: An Opera In Five Acts
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image. All b&w plates intact. Small pencil marking on front cover.
One of the most celebrated works to emerge from revolutionary China, The White-Haired Girl is a landmark opera in five acts that chronicles the harrowing story of Xi'er, a young peasant woman whose suffering under a tyrannical landlord transforms her into a symbol of resilience and revolutionary spirit. Set in rural northern China during the tumultuous years leading up to the Communist victory, this powerful dramatic work blurs the boundaries between folk tradition and political theatre, presenting a visceral portrait of class oppression, survival, and ultimate liberation. Born out of the Yan'an artistic movement of the 1940s, this opera stands as a defining artefact of 20th-century Chinese cultural history, illustrating how art was harnessed as a vehicle for ideological transformation. Ho Ching-chih and Ting Yi craft a narrative that draws deeply from Chinese folk song and legend, weaving peasant melodies with revolutionary fervour to produce a work of extraordinary emotional power. Widely regarded as a cornerstone of modern Chinese opera, its significance extends far beyond the stage — leaving the reader to wonder how much of a nation's soul can be captured in a single story.
Author: Ho Ching-Chih And Ting Yi
Format: Paperback
Published: 1954, Foreign Languages Press
Genre: Plays
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image. All b&w plates intact. Small pencil marking on front cover.
One of the most celebrated works to emerge from revolutionary China, The White-Haired Girl is a landmark opera in five acts that chronicles the harrowing story of Xi'er, a young peasant woman whose suffering under a tyrannical landlord transforms her into a symbol of resilience and revolutionary spirit. Set in rural northern China during the tumultuous years leading up to the Communist victory, this powerful dramatic work blurs the boundaries between folk tradition and political theatre, presenting a visceral portrait of class oppression, survival, and ultimate liberation. Born out of the Yan'an artistic movement of the 1940s, this opera stands as a defining artefact of 20th-century Chinese cultural history, illustrating how art was harnessed as a vehicle for ideological transformation. Ho Ching-chih and Ting Yi craft a narrative that draws deeply from Chinese folk song and legend, weaving peasant melodies with revolutionary fervour to produce a work of extraordinary emotional power. Widely regarded as a cornerstone of modern Chinese opera, its significance extends far beyond the stage — leaving the reader to wonder how much of a nation's soul can be captured in a single story.