Over 80% of chuanqi are named after a signature object, something that passes from one set of hands to another. However, contemporary writings on drama, even as they dwell on many details of performance, do not for the most part treat props, and in the plays themselves these signature objects are often strikingly lacking in solidity. Is an object really just an idea or is it something beyond an idea? In an age marked by anxieties about the nature of money and the liquidity of wealth and status, this question strikes at the heart of the matter.

The Elvera Kwang Siam Lim Lecture