The Stage Moves on Air: The Mediatization of Quyi in Early Twentieth-Century North China

This article explores the flourishing of quyi 曲藝 performances—various forms of storytelling, ballad singing, and comic routines—through their interactions with modern media forms, particularly the gramophone and radio, and examines the transformation of native genres as they navigated the complexities of these media technologies and their associated industries. Drawing on both textual and media sources, it highlights the underexplored dynamics behind the mediatization of quyi performances in North China during the early twentieth century. Strategically coordinating with gramophone technologies, piaoyou ( 票友 avocational performers) transformed quyi performances into modern cultural products—sonic fragments that preserved local aesthetics and connoisseurship, valued for repeated listening, preservation, and academic research. These efforts, however, were soon eclipsed by the rise of radio broadcasting. With its advertising-driven profit model, broadcasting not only boosted the popularity of quyi genres but also reshaped both the cultural and commercial dynamics of the field through modifications introduced by producers and performers to suit the broadcast format. Yet, the process of modernization did not benefit all groups equally. The 1936 protest by blind singers in Tianjin against local broadcasting stations reveals the increasing imposition of professional barriers by the emerging new media platforms, leading to the exclusion of disadvantaged performers. By tracing these trajectories, this article illuminates the forces that fueled the golden age of quyi performances in 1930s North China, while also revealing the nuanced—and often overlooked—experiences of participants from diverse backgrounds who engaged in the historical process of mediatization.