That Far-away Country and Far-fetched Product: China on the Early Modern English Stage, 1595-1637

This article traces sketches of China on the English stage from 1595 to 1637 and explores their relations with the early modern globalisation. By examining how China - both country and commodity - was imagined and staged in the period before England's first (failed) attempt to establish direct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnglish studies Vol. 101; no. 7; pp. 815 - 832
Main Author Chen, Weibin
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Lisse Routledge 02.10.2020
Swets & Zeitlinger bv
Subjects
Anglo-Sino literary relations
China
early modern English stage
early modern globalisation
England
China
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Summary:This article traces sketches of China on the English stage from 1595 to 1637 and explores their relations with the early modern globalisation. By examining how China - both country and commodity - was imagined and staged in the period before England's first (failed) attempt to establish direct trade with China in 1637, it argues that China was for the English a means through which to project ambitious plans for commercial and cultural expansion, and the paradoxical image of China, admirable and contemptible, can offer a window on England's anxiety about its place in the structure of the early modern globalisation.
ISSN:0013-838X
1744-4217
DOI:10.1080/0013838X.2020.1847915