ABSTRACT
The social roles played by performers in the narrative arts community are highly complex, influencing behavior both on and off the stage. Narrative artists not only have to learn how to perform their respective genres-they have to learn how to perform their responsibilities to their teachers, colleagues, political leaders, and students. As I gradually came to understand the vital importance of proper social etiquette, I discovered that the Chinese are unusually adept at using different social strategies to achieve particular goals. While these strategies were especially daunting to me as an outsider, I learned some of the most vital information about navigating through the Chinese social web by unwittingly committing faux pas. The following incident describes some of my unintentional social indiscretions and the ways I was ultimately able to use them as a basis for deciphering my field research.
