In 1960, as part of the early PRC’s cultural diplomacy, a troupe of almost a hundred Chinese performers and officials visited Canada, where they were widely identified as “the Peking Opera.” This was the high Cold War, ten years before Canada would recognise the PRC. The visit revealed a range of perspectives on China and Canada, from the federal government, to Canadian organizers, Canadian Chinese communities and an anxious Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The tour shows how the cultural isolation of the PRC was coming to an end as early as 1960, even in North America, and prefigures China’s present soft power push.
Dr. Josh Stenberg is a Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Sydney. His research interests include the uses and transformations of xiqu (“Chinese opera”) as performed within China, in other Chinese-speaking areas, and abroad.
This event is sponsored by: Centre for Chinese Research and UBC Theatre & Film.
