This article traces the history of baojuan (scroll recitation) performances in Shanghai in the period 1875–1915. Scroll recitation is a type of ritualized storytelling that originated in Buddhist preaching, but that also included secular subjects in the later period. This study demonstrates how a traditional performative art was integrated into the cultural environment of a developing cosmopolitan city at the end of the nineteenth century, and how it was transformed for the new demands of urban audiences in the early twentieth century. This study analyzes the process of secularization of scroll recitation through the growth of entertaining aspects of its contents and performance style in Shanghai. It makes use of newly discovered historical materials, including newspapers and periodicals of that period, which help to clarify many details of this art’s evolution in the modern city.

中文翻译：

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上海宝卷表演的演变：现代城市传统文学的发展（1875年至1915年）

本文追溯了1875年至1915年在上海表演的卷卷演奏的历史。滚动朗诵是一种仪式化的讲故事，起源于佛教讲道，但在后期也包括世俗主题。这项研究表明，传统的表演艺术是如何在19世纪末融入发展中的国际大都市的文化环境中的，以及如何在20世纪初将其转变为满足城市观众的新需求。本研究通过在上海娱乐内容和表演风格的娱乐方面的增长来分析世俗朗诵的世俗化过程。它利用了新发现的历史资料，包括当时的报纸和期刊，