Amateur theatre in China 1949-1966

"The phrase 'amateur theatre' conveys, in the West, a picture of unpaid actors performing for their own and their friends' amusement, aiming chiefly to entertain but perhaps, incidentally, to help train future professional actors. In China, however, amateur theatre has for many centuries reflected the various ideologies which have dominated the country, and has played an altogether more significant role in society. Though he traces the history of amateur theatre from dynastic times, [author] is here most concerned with the concept of 'amateur' from Liberation to the eve of the Cultural Revolution. He discusses the ideals set forth for the performers and the problems they have encountered in living up to them. He shows how the communist government has used amateur theatre to spread its message, especially among the vast masses of the peasantry, and concludes that, by and large, it has been successful."--Inside cover.