Brill’s Encyclopedia of China

1. Early Forms of Theater Chinese theater first developed from the dancing and chanting of shamans, in the Shang and Zhou periods. Its origins can also be traced back to the court jesters of the Zhou and Han periods, who not only acted as entertainers, but also as narrators of stories and jokes. Famous "ancestors" of the acting profession were the comedian Meng (jester and musician in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period) and the dwarf Tan (who served as a jester for Qin Shihuang). Acrobatic variety performances of all kinds were common from the Han period: tightrope walkers, jugglers, sword-swallowers and fire-eaters, climbing artists, leaping artists, weightlifters, etc. These forms of entertainment are also regarded as early forms of theater. Another source was the secu…

The Three Principles of the People ( Sanminzhuyi) are the teachings of Sun Yatsen (Sun Yixian), which he developed in cooperation with close confidants. Their written version was finalized in a series of lectures Sun gave in 192…

Jin 18 counties 10.75 million inhabitants 11,300 km² 9…

Zang Lhasa 73 counties, 2 cities 2.81 million inhabitants 1,228,400 km² 2 inhabitants/km2 …