The Institutionalization Of Arts

This thesis explores institutional transformations in the midst of the cultural reform in post-1949 Shanghai. By using archival and oral history materials, the present research takes pingtan storytelling as a case study. This thesis argues that institutionalization of popular culture and entertainment industry was governed, in no small way, by economic factors, although the Party-state's policies exerted enormous impact. Meanwhile, artists, who took the initiative to participate in cultural reforms, oftentimes conflicted with the state for both economic gains and artistic autonomy.