Not Celebrating Nationalism: Taiwan Jingju 's Resistance and Resilience

This article explores how Taiwan Jingju 京劇 (Peking or Beijing opera) has gone beyond a "national theater" ( guoju 國劇 ) framework to embody a uniquely Taiwanese perspective. I argue that Taiwan Jingju resists promoting the Kuomintang's Chinese nationalism and has established a distinct performance style and body of work driven by literariness in playwriting. This article contextualizes how Taiwan Jingju confronts challenges, implements resistance strategies, and builds resilience. The examination shows how a Chinese-originated theater can foster local originality through the interplay of script creation and stage performance. The analysis first conceptualizes Taiwan Jingju . Instead of confining the imagination of Taiwan to geographic boundaries or seeing it as a Chinese cultural branch, I suggest that Taiwan Jingju represents the agency of Taiwan and ensures a distinctive perspective that resists nationalism. Next, I briefly trace the historical transformation of Taiwan Jingju driven by a focus on literariness in playwriting, which has developed into an emerging genre of dynamic literature ( dongtai wenxue 動態文學 ). Finally, by conducting an in-depth analysis of One Hundred Years on Stage (2011), a work that delves into Jingju actors' lives both on and off the stage, I exemplify the enduring resistance and resilience inherent in Taiwan Jingju . This research delves into the tactics used in Taiwan Jingju to address adversities and the methods used by actors, playwrights, and directors to fortify its persistence.