Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Lisha Xu In brief Date - 1 October 2025Venue - Room G.06, 50 George SquareSpeaker - Dr Lisha Xu (University of Glasgow)Chair - Professor Şebnem Susam-Saraeva (University of Edinburgh)Title - Feminism and Androgyny: Gender Politics in Contemporary Classical Chinese Opera About the eventGender politics in China has been sensitive. Yet, the wider rising interest in the intersections of feminism and androgyny in contemporary classical Chinese opera provides us with a good insight into understanding complexity of gender politics in China. In particular, gendered representation in classical Chinese Opera not only provides an aesthetic revival of the past, but also subtly contests the perceived binary of traditional gender constructions by establishing portals of relatedness between past and present, both of which are unfixed and destabilised by the way in which these performance traffic in simultaneity.Especially in the context of intercultural and interlingual theatre exchange, gender fluidity and feminist representation on the contemporary stage create the conditions of connection with new audiences today across time and space. The talk focuses on two examples, firstly, feminism in Amy Ng’s feminist translation of Rescuing one’ s Sister in the Wind and Dust (2021) and, secondly, the androgynous body in the all -female Yue Opera productions New Dragon Gate Inn (2023) and Coriolanus and Du Liniang (2016). The central questions of this talk are: how do translation and performance as representational forms interrogate entrenched gender norms, and how do they engage with themes of marked relevance today, such as domestic violence and the commodification of women’s bodies.About the speakerLisha Xu is a Lecturer in Translation Studies at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Glasgow. Before joining Glasgow in 2024, she worked as a Teaching Fellow in Chinese and Translation Studies at The University of Edinburgh.Her current research is focused on translating Classical Chinese Opera (xiqu) for the Anglophone stage and the study of Chinese translators of the early 20th-century diaspora. She is now working on a book about Classical Chinese Opera (xiqu) Translation.How to attendThis event is open to all and free to attend. No registration is required - just come along!About the seminar seriesEach semester, we welcome a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their work in translation.Our seminar series is run collaboratively by staff and postgraduate students, enabling our early career researchers to build networks and experience.Entry is free and no booking is required. Everyone is welcome.Are you interested in Translation Studies at Edinburgh?Providing excellent teaching and supervision, our postgraduate MSc and PhD programmes are among the UK's most comprehensive and flexible. Our expertise covers a wide range of research areas and many languages, of which you can choose to work with two. Find out more about postgraduate programmes in Translation Studies Tags Translation Studies Oct 01 2025 16.10 - 18.00 Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Lisha Xu An in-person seminar by Dr Lisha Xu (University of Glasgow) exploring how translations of Chinese operas can help us understand the complexity of gender politics in China. Room G.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square
Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Lisha Xu In brief Date - 1 October 2025Venue - Room G.06, 50 George SquareSpeaker - Dr Lisha Xu (University of Glasgow)Chair - Professor Şebnem Susam-Saraeva (University of Edinburgh)Title - Feminism and Androgyny: Gender Politics in Contemporary Classical Chinese Opera About the eventGender politics in China has been sensitive. Yet, the wider rising interest in the intersections of feminism and androgyny in contemporary classical Chinese opera provides us with a good insight into understanding complexity of gender politics in China. In particular, gendered representation in classical Chinese Opera not only provides an aesthetic revival of the past, but also subtly contests the perceived binary of traditional gender constructions by establishing portals of relatedness between past and present, both of which are unfixed and destabilised by the way in which these performance traffic in simultaneity.Especially in the context of intercultural and interlingual theatre exchange, gender fluidity and feminist representation on the contemporary stage create the conditions of connection with new audiences today across time and space. The talk focuses on two examples, firstly, feminism in Amy Ng’s feminist translation of Rescuing one’ s Sister in the Wind and Dust (2021) and, secondly, the androgynous body in the all -female Yue Opera productions New Dragon Gate Inn (2023) and Coriolanus and Du Liniang (2016). The central questions of this talk are: how do translation and performance as representational forms interrogate entrenched gender norms, and how do they engage with themes of marked relevance today, such as domestic violence and the commodification of women’s bodies.About the speakerLisha Xu is a Lecturer in Translation Studies at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Glasgow. Before joining Glasgow in 2024, she worked as a Teaching Fellow in Chinese and Translation Studies at The University of Edinburgh.Her current research is focused on translating Classical Chinese Opera (xiqu) for the Anglophone stage and the study of Chinese translators of the early 20th-century diaspora. She is now working on a book about Classical Chinese Opera (xiqu) Translation.How to attendThis event is open to all and free to attend. No registration is required - just come along!About the seminar seriesEach semester, we welcome a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a seminar on their work in translation.Our seminar series is run collaboratively by staff and postgraduate students, enabling our early career researchers to build networks and experience.Entry is free and no booking is required. Everyone is welcome.Are you interested in Translation Studies at Edinburgh?Providing excellent teaching and supervision, our postgraduate MSc and PhD programmes are among the UK's most comprehensive and flexible. Our expertise covers a wide range of research areas and many languages, of which you can choose to work with two. Find out more about postgraduate programmes in Translation Studies Tags Translation Studies Oct 01 2025 16.10 - 18.00 Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Lisha Xu An in-person seminar by Dr Lisha Xu (University of Glasgow) exploring how translations of Chinese operas can help us understand the complexity of gender politics in China. Room G.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square
Oct 01 2025 16.10 - 18.00 Translation Studies Research Seminar Series: Lisha Xu An in-person seminar by Dr Lisha Xu (University of Glasgow) exploring how translations of Chinese operas can help us understand the complexity of gender politics in China.
