Chinese Storytellers: Life and Art in the Yangzhou Tradition (C & T Asian Literature Series)

Integrating performances, interviews with contemporary storytellers, striking photographs, and historical background, Chinese Storytellers is a fascinating introduction to the living art of shuoshu--storytelling. This one-of-a-kind book includes a VCD of seven master storytellers performing their art in the Yangzhou dialect of Chinese. Exploring the cultural, historical, and political significance of Chinese storytelling, Chinese Storytellers takes us to Yangzhou, the town where one of the oldest branches in the tradition has flourished for centuries. In both book and VCD, we are led through Yangzhou's ancient alleyways and teahouses to learn the settings and techniques used by storytellers during performance. We discover what a typical storytelling session is like, how one generation of storytellers teaches the next, and how storytelling has changed over the centuries. Interviews with contemporary masters of the art, accompanied by photographs capturing their performances and their everyday routines, afford a rare glimpse into the personal and professional lives of storytellers today. In both the book and VCD, selections from classics such as "Water Margin," "Three Kingdoms" and "Journey to the West" are rendered in the unique style of each artist--capturing with color, drama, humor, and humanity these tales that appeal to people of all cultures.