"Throughout Chinese history, almost all the "conquest" dynasties forced Chinese people to conform to the rulers' ethnic clothing and hairstyle in the wake of the conquests. This was no different in the early Qing period, when Manchu rulers forced their style on the Han majority. However, the theater was one of the only areas of life that was not permeated by Manchu culture and where Han costumes remained. In Exile to the Stage: Costuming and Personhood in Early Qing Drama, Guojun Wang explores clothing and costumes as indices of ethnic and gender identities during the Ming-Qing transition"-- Provided by publisher.