Peking Opera Blues

This story takes place in China in 1913. The three women are from different social classes, one from the privileged upper class, one from the working class, one from the country. These three young women are working as part of a revolutionary plot to overthrow the military government, yet one of them is the daughter of the most powerful general in the government. She also dresses as a male most of the time, perhaps reflecting her father's desire for a boy, and also a useful device for spying and espionage. There are also two males who join these three in their effort, one a soldier who is no longer happy with the milita

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ho had little time to develop on their own. In particular, this meant there was no interest in the thought or attitudes of other intellectuals in other countries, particularly those in the West, so when Western ideas invaded China, the intellectuals were not equipped to handle it. After 1895, this Western invasion increased and became more a part of the scene in China, with the establishment of new schools that combined both Western and Chinese subjects. The old civil service examinations were abolished in 1905, and this ended the structure that had molded Chinese thought for so long. The new intellectual class would become part of the effort to change. It was necessary to train thousands of teachers for these new schools, and there were costs in terms not only of training but of equipping the facilities. Schools came and went during this period. The consequence was that students who had been made to feel a need for increased education sought it in Japan or the West, frustrated with the failures of the system in their own country. Added to the concern over Western ideas was the defeat of China in the Sino-Japanese War. The generation in charge at the turn of the century had had its confidence shaken by these and other even
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Women West, Tao Wan's, Pak Neil, Confucianism Manchu, Michele Yeoh, Western Chinese, Tsui Hark, Sun Yat-Sen, Hong Kong, Days Reform, opera house, de bary, street singer, era film set, people people, lower class, film modern, military warlord, social classes, bary chan, peking opera blues, daughter opera house, de bary chan, chinese society,
Approximate Word count = 1647
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)