Juedixi: An Entertainment of War in Early China

Juedixi: An Entertainment of War in Early China

Response Paper

The article of Dallas McCurley evaluates how the Juedixi, which is perceived to be a spectacular kind of Western Han dynasty was used a method of impressing enemies and friends as well as how it mythologized the Chinese empire powers. Perhaps, Juedixi is a performance genre of the Western Han, which was developed from the martial rites of China’s central state. The genesis of Juedixi was drawn from the competitions and performances which were dedicated to emperor Wu. Juedixi has been linked with the long war of Emperor Wu against the Xiongnu nomads, which is perceived to be the war that coincided with the first core imperial expansion in China.

Dallas McCurley divided the content of Juedixi into three significant areas, which formed the background and body of the article. These include the promotion of Wu through Jueli and Juedi, Juedi, and the five baits and Juedixi as the state entertainment. To ascertain the measures of promoting Wu, the authors based their arguments on historical reforms, competitive rituals, Jueli, and Juedi, which played an essential role in providing the background of fighting against Xiongnu nomads. Juedixi also enhanced the creation of five baits that helped to fight against the occurrence of wars and how it has enhanced cultural growth in China and hence promoting peace among the societies.

Dallas McCurley also pointed Juedixi as a source of state entertainment due to frequency social and cultural interaction created by the cultural performance.  As a state entertainment, Juedixi promoted peace and together, and it provided a platform for the government to address various issues affecting China. Hence, it was used as a measure of promoting peace. In conclusion, Dallas McCurley summed up how Wu, Wen, and other performance categories of the traditional Chinese theatre have enhanced cultural growth in china.

Essay

It is worth noting that Juedixi is perceived to have been playing a significant role in impressing enemies and allies as well as mythologizing the power of the Chinese empires. Perhaps, for many decades, Juedixi has been used as a form of promoting peace and unity through embracing friendship between different ethnic groups and societies. This has been enhanced through the promotion of cultural interaction and theatre performances promoted by Juedixi. Also, Juedixi was used by the Chinese emperors to mythologize their powers as well as showcasing their political powers. According to McCurley (2005), Juedixi allows people to contemplate martial orientated theatres, which was perceived as a tool for promoting cultural interaction and togetherness. As a background of Juedixi, Jueli and Juedi were used to promote Wu. These were the competitive rituals in theatre and martial performances such as wrestling, archery, and chariot handling, among others. These two aspects of Juedixi enhanced the promotion of Wu, which in turn created interaction among the societies. Also, Jueli and Juedi were used to fight against Xiongnu nomads, which in turn promoted peace within the society and hence promoting Wu.

According to McCurley (2005), Juedixi also enhanced the creation of five baits that helped to fight against the occurrence of wars and how it has enhanced cultural growth in China and hence promoting peace among the societies. The five baits were implemented using the signing of a peace treaty between the Xiongnu emperor and Jia Yi, the Gaozu’s minister, which in turn translated into peaceful interaction between the people between different societies. Lastly, Juedixi was used by the Chinese emperors to promote state entertainment through the organization of theater concerts and performance. These performances were used to entertain emperors and other political leaders, which in turn promoted friendship and interaction among the political leaders as well as promoting cultural growth in China.

Reference

McCurley, D. (2005). Juedixi: An Entertainment of War in Early China. Asian Theatre Journal, 22(1), 87-106.