ABSTRACT
In this country, many people of Chinese descent have vivid childhood memories of the old-style Chinese theater. They may have been taken to performances as children, or had an uncle who was a talented amateur performer, or they may simply have grown up in a household where the radio was always tuned to the local Cantonese-language music station. Although the political and cultural changes of the twentieth century have dealt a heavy blow to traditional performance styles in China itself, film, television, and video cassettes have extended the Chinese diaspora audience for these ancient forms of entertainment. Many older people in Chinese-speaking communities from Singapore to San Francisco and Vancouver are fans and amateur performers who will turn out in large numbers to hear a visiting troupe from Taipei, Beijing, or Hong Kong.
