ABSTRACT
To study the contemporary revival of the nandan art in jingju, it is necessary to review gender dynamics and ideology in the history of jingju, especially in the evolution of the nandan art and its culmination during the Republican era of China, signified by the emergence of the Four Great Dan and the rise of Mei Lanfang as a national icon. I understand that there have been many publications and documentary films on the inception of jingju, the Four Great Dan and Mei Lanfang, but I will focus on the gender dynamics during the evolution of jingju since its inception in the Qing dynasty.
