Networking among Ming Loyalists and Renegades during the Early Qing Period: Poems, Prose, and Theater

As with all dynastic transitions, the Manchu conquest of China demanded serious decisions from the intellectual elite of the time, in particular as to how they should relate to the conquerors. One might assume that those who felt loyal to the deposed Ming and those who co-operated with the new rulers had parted ways permanently. In fact, however, both circles were still in active dialogue with each other. A common point of contact was indeed their own past, often in the form of nostalgic reminiscence. The talk presents some of these communication possibilities, focusing on texts that deal with performing artists of the time—as these functioned as a link between the present and the past, thereby facilitating interaction between the two groups.