Dramatically Dreamy Life and Revelation of the Times: Evolution of the Images of the Theatrical Performer (Ling Ren) in Contemporary Chinese Novels

The topic for discussion of this project is the evolution of the images of the theatricalperformer (Ling Ren) in contemporary Chinese novels. The relevant representative works inTaiwan local novels, modernist novels, urban novels and female novels present the concernsabout the rise and fall of specific certain genres of drama and cultural changes with the experienceand situation of the theatrical performer as the figure. The relevant novels of Hong Kong thenprobe into the changes in the Central Plains culture from the perspective of border areas. Thereappeared several stories since the new era in the mainland China which reflects the CulturalRevolution by means of the fluctuant situation of the famous theatrical performer or present thefolk landscape and spirit by means of the local operas respectively. These writers of the threeplaces are very obsessed with the type of drama that they wrote in their novels and there iscongruence between the drama and the language style of the novel. The life of the characteroverlaps the drama itself and struggles in exploring the lust or gender identity. The story of thetheatrical performers and their mood are related to the rise and fall of genres of drama and reflectthe specific and subtle traces of the change of the times as well.