This essay examines current-event plays( shishiju 时事剧) and their social functions in late Ming China. Drawing on awide range or primary sources and built on secondary scholarship on information history,the essay of...This essay examines current-event plays( shishiju 时事剧) and their social functions in late Ming China. Drawing on awide range or primary sources and built on secondary scholarship on information history,the essay offered a complete picture of the booming,features,social functions and the decline of the current-event plays. The essay argues that many current-event plays addressed on credibility,timeliness and easy accessibility,which enabled current-event plays to play an important role in information circulation. This essay further exposes the current-event plays not only opened a forum for public discussion but also influenced public opinions greatly from literate elites to the masses in Ming China. Through analyzing current-event plays in the context of Ming society,this essay expands the realm of studying information history.展开更多
文摘This essay examines current-event plays( shishiju 时事剧) and their social functions in late Ming China. Drawing on awide range or primary sources and built on secondary scholarship on information history,the essay offered a complete picture of the booming,features,social functions and the decline of the current-event plays. The essay argues that many current-event plays addressed on credibility,timeliness and easy accessibility,which enabled current-event plays to play an important role in information circulation. This essay further exposes the current-event plays not only opened a forum for public discussion but also influenced public opinions greatly from literate elites to the masses in Ming China. Through analyzing current-event plays in the context of Ming society,this essay expands the realm of studying information history.