Traditional Chinese Theater in Peru, 1856–1960: Origin, Disappearance, and Memory

As of 2025, 176 years have passed since the first Chinese immigrants arrived in Peru. During this time, the Peruvian-Chinese community has developed diverse activities such as trade, agriculture, and gastronomy. These activities form part of the historical memory of individuals of Chinese descent and of Peruvians in general. Nevertheless, the development of traditional Chinese theater, a particularly relevant aspect of immigrants’ sociocultural, political, and commercial lives, has received little scholarly attention. While some studies were carried out in the 1980s, a better understanding of the Chinese theaters in Lima and their role in adapting and integrating traditional Chinese theater within the Chinese community was not achieved until 2012. This was thanks to Odalis Valladares's thesis, “Chinese Immigrants in Lima: Theater, Identity, and Social Integration, 1870–1930,” which provided valuable insights.1Odalis Valladares's thesis was preceded by a few investigations that addressed specific moments in the history of traditional Chinese theater in Peru. In his article “Teatro chino en el Perú (1848–1930): Factor de nacionalidad en el teatro peruano,” Rafael Hernández offers the first references to the Delicias Theater.2 Fanni Muñoz Cabrejo reconstructs the history of the Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater in her book Diversiones públicas en Lima, 1890–1920: La experiencia de la modernidad.3 Humberto Rodríguez-Pastor, one of the main researchers of Chinese immigration in Peru, compiled some journalistic chronicles published in the 1870s in his article “Comentarios a noticias especiales sobre chinos del siglo XX.”4Subsequently, after Wing Chung Ng's book The Rise of Cantonese Opera was published in 2015—in which Peru is mentioned as part of the international itinerary of Cantonese opera companies—Josh Stenberg contributed a transnational perspective.5 In his article, “Towards Global Xiqu Studies: Situating Latin America on the Trans-Pacific Circuit,” Stenberg places the traditional Chinese theater of Peru, together with that of Cuba, within a trans-Pacific Latin American circuit.6 I have also contributed to this perspective with my article “La ópera cantonesa en el Perú: Sociedades comerciales y mercado transnacional.”7In my analysis of previous research, I have identified several critical aspects that are essential to expanding the history of traditional Chinese theater in Peru. These range from the cultural roots of Chinese theater in Peru to contemporary proposals and efforts to recover memories of this tradition. Therefore, this article aims to explain the presence of traditional Chinese theater in provinces and other locations along the Peruvian coast. It will also address new aspects such as how sectors of the Chinese community pursued civic-political participation through theater, strategies used to gain influence over public perception, factors that led to the disappearance of transnational Chinese traditional theater in Peru, the process of continuity that followed through locally formed artistic groups, and the screening of Cantonese opera films. An important contribution of this article is that it documents how individuals of Chinese descent take action to recover the historical memory of traditional Chinese theater.The migration of people from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau brought traditional Chinese theater to Peru in the mid-nineteenth century. Cantonese-style theater, known in the West as Cantonese opera, was an itinerant theater that connected with rural areas, distant villages, and lower classes of the cities. It played an active role in community, religious, and social life for these audiences.8 Performances were given during various religious events such as anniversaries of Chinese divinities, purification and initiation rites for temples, and New Year, mid-autumn, and dragon ship festivals as well as for the prosperity of a community, clan, family, or business sponsorship.9 Traditional Cantonese theater has been able to maintain its significance as an essential art form due to its integration with the social life of the people of the Pearl River Delta. Even after immigration, theater remained relevant in the sociocultural dynamics of Chinese communities in North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. By 1920, many cities across North America and Latin America were part of the transnational circuit of traditional Cantonese theater, including Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Havana, Mexico City, and Mexicali.10Since the first wave of Chinese migration in 1849, Chinese immigrants have settled in several departments of Peru, including Ancash, Arequipa, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Moquegua, and Piura.11 Until now, traditional Chinese theater had only been found in locations near the Peruvian coast such as the Chincha Islands (in the department of Ica), the provinces of Lima and Barranca, and the department of Lambayeque.While Nancy Rao and Wing Chung Ng have conducted transnational studies to identify the cities where theater companies traveled in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, the documentary sources of traditional Chinese theater found in Peru do not provide enough information to establish the itinerary of the companies that performed in the aforementioned provinces. From a transnational perspective, commercial and social networks played a significant role in expanding traditional Cantonese theater in North America.12 It is still unclear whether there was communication between the Chinese colonies in Peru regarding the hiring and movement of theater troupes within the territory. Based on previous studies and analyzed documentary sources, it can be concluded that the traditional Chinese theater flourished in Chinese colonies settled on the Peruvian coast, beyond the limits of Barrios Altos in Lima. This area has been the primary focus of research on the subject thus far.The first reference to the practice of traditional Chinese theater appears in the Chincha Islands in 1856 during the Guano era. It is associated with the celebrations of Chinese immigrants as evidenced by railway engineer Robert Stirling in a letter he sent to the governor of the Chincha Islands.13 An excerpt of this letter is reproduced in the following analysis by researcher Cecilia Méndez: “In spite of their harsh living conditions, the [unskilled laborers] of the Chincha Islands managed to create a space to preserve their traditions and culture. By the mid-1850s ‘they had formed a theater in the place they inhabit, in which they perform on the vespers and holidays.’”14 The fate of this theater remains a mystery. According to the letter's description, it is possible that the theater was temporary and poorly constructed due to the precarious conditions Chinese workers endured on the Guanera islands. However, as Cecilia Méndez highlights, the theater's existence the for were able to perform and cultural traditions in Lima, the Peruvian the the of Chinese in to the Chinese theater in a space on the Rastro de that will take place from to in the and from to It is the first reference to a traditional Chinese theater in Lima, in Barrios where the practice had a presence until the The Chinese community of Lima was formed in this In the years following its its of Chinese had their Immigrants by their such as and which they through or also formed commercial companies to which such as and and for the a on the coast of Peru, in the department of Lambayeque, which in years had to be part of the department of La In his book y the In the Theater as de a of history as the first Chinese theater to perform in Peru. of the was a an had received an in of the existence in Peru, the and achieved The public the reference to the of was of specific the theater and the presence of a Chinese to as a the from other were not in journalistic or the traditional Chinese theater were in of the department of Lambayeque, as a theater theater to In to the of the community in these and the also have the and a new was near the of Lima: of Chinese arrived the of on the It is that they will be The are to is to have as as the do not Lima, Chinese formed with the of traditional Cantonese theater to theater These were in through the American thanks to the efforts of the commercial of the del Rastro de have on the of from to companies were on their previous in as evidenced in this which arrived the is to perform in the have that these from the have received for their in some cities in the By companies were still brought over from by the Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater was brought over from and of The sources do not the of companies between and In 1920, managed the Delicias and with the these will from San and in Lima by to documentary sources, there is of a between traditional Cantonese theater troupes in Peru and the In the of the Theater in San a of opera that was on their to This information was from a as part of the of is possible that the theater companies that to Peru were brought from from that the Theater had one in to the theater's in a from of with their In 1920, the Delicias Theater Cantonese as in the following “In or including will to form a which will be a the it is well known that theater companies from the were brought to Peru and that this contributed to the of the transnational of traditional Cantonese theater, there is still a to the through which were with the of the theater companies in San to the role of in the the of and the of in of Chinese theater in the Barrios Altos of Lima is to commercial formed by Chinese immigrants had the and to theater These were used to the associated with the As a business commercial companies to and significant of for such as theater and led the first commercial that the theater on Rastro de in As in a article, its significant of have been that the have over to on the and from to the with the the of traditional Chinese theater, there was for the community had to for “In an the of a a on Rastro de for with the of a not he to an that passed through the the and the in the The conditions were in the by the of the is unclear the commercial the theater on Rastro de It is possible that the theater until to a by However, were found during the of the of the of Lima from to This the that the Rastro de commercial and that the of an or used theater have been in there are of the or of this However, there are of by the which to and are part of the del Perú and Chinese theater in Lima was on Rastro de la Huaquilla and was managed by several commercial companies from to In its an of of Chinese and had managed to a the theater the to of Chinese participation was not as in y presence in the commercial of the Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater to the dynamics of and that have his to the of in the of the of Lima, was also of Lima in the which traditional Chinese theater it was for Chinese to a public and This to gain and in a a Chinese theater in Peru was due to the that Chinese were these as to the of for theater It be a for Chinese theater to have with their Peruvian to their proposals and influence the of and its In Peruvian from the by the Chinese theater business to journalistic was by a Chinese to influence the of Lima, y to an in for of Chinese theaters in the This to the of Chinese it only to Chinese theaters and not other public The of Lima its by the presence of in Chinese theaters and the of after which The Odalis has the between the and traditional Chinese theater, has out these there was a regarding the of within these as they their of and of found the of within these remained a for a of these theaters as that were were the of the the Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater was to due to with and by the of Lima. By the theater was the of a and his were with the theater to do within the As a the theater in in of the with a However, this was and the theater was in The to the by the Chinese do not provide they the events that led to the of to the for the theater by of Chinese This and had their through a by the Chinese theater's not its as evidenced by in the of Lima from the which that were for its by Chinese theater By the theater was managed by and a of Chinese there are few of the theater from this The only known of the Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater from and on with some also This valuable was a a the theater in The was from the of the and and in the following the in the events the have the Chinese theater of The has from where to in and the of the and of The of and and Chinese was a place where out its in and It has been by Chinese theater was as a and space that This the various as a theater a space for an and a However, the of such beyond the of Chinese immigrants as the of In since the mid-nineteenth Lima has a of This has led to individuals in the Theater, in was a place that also from the Huaquilla From to it was managed by the Theater of Chinese and In this of action to the of the Theater, their It is known that they the of one which was used for the and of the also a theater The first by the Theater arrived the ship to for a in the theater, which had been for or However, the existence with a in the of which was to the of Chinese y a and of the Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater, out in a addressed to the of Lima this that between the and has led to the of the on by the of the of Lima that this theater was in by the the traditional Chinese theater in the to it is unclear which theater Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater or the a this in his to for a The not have to for I a it out to be the of The was an opera in the Chinese in the also a of from various of in the and with the by researcher in his book Guano y en el Perú: de la experiencia de del y from a letter by the in they from the the that some had in the Chinese Theater, its and the It is that some Chinese the and the Chinese and in that on these it can be that the Chinese theater was a space that as a for the Chinese to their through for it was also the of by this during the of there is some information the Rastro de Theater, the Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater, and the Theater and their with the it is not to the civic-political of the Chinese community in Lima during the of the century. However, on the documentary sources from and it is possible to identify to a new Chinese theater La This theater was on after the that the Rastro de la Huaquilla Theater, its existence was new theater had been in a and from the theater, to a published in the The theater was by the after its La was an theater that have played a role in the significance of traditional Chinese theater in the civic-political celebrations of the Chinese The theater was on during celebrations the Chinese as in the of a published in of Lima in for the from the appears in the in the published a of the of a with the following the the Chinese Theater, the of the of the of in during the was by the of the in and the of the However, this new the of of the and the of during the The to Chinese as part of the was a It was to the of specific of Chinese with to the form of for their for such as the the of the and the of the Chinese the for the had been the since with the of the of to Chinese community used traditional 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the Delicias Theater remained an important space for the Chinese community for several It provided a for to with their cultural traditions and their In the of the Chinese community an artistic to the in The presence of the in that the Chinese were and to preserve their traditions By their traditional theater to Chinese a of in their in a that integration and social Delicias Theater was to traditional Chinese and a and a However, the of the the theater to focus on a new form of By the Delicias Theater traditional and the Cantonese opera had a business that across the Chinese colonies in the American However, the a significant due to by the in which the As the it that the transnational were not to the that In many Chinese communities that played to the the of the in an from and for the itinerant North America, many or for in San Francisco, New City, and factors to the of traditional Chinese theater in Peru the it not explain the analysis of events that the disappearance in the the Chinese community theaters such as the Delicias Theater the Theater and the Theater due to their or of Odalis the of Chinese theater as a that the to the the Chinese as their traditional were as The to as of and to can be that Lima and led to the between the of the Chinese community and traditional Chinese As a the of hiring theater troupes the of Chinese had the time, the social traditional Chinese with the of a new form of that was with their social This new form of a in Lima and the has been an and with in and that have the the new that was During the in Peru, a and a form of for the and the The business of the Chinese community the of and in it during the During the many Chinese in in the was one such the in in The was with a that and some managed by on to the Theater, and the on from and Peru were to these such as and In the de la The in Barrios Altos was by the of the Delicias Theater, where the events was also an important in the development of the Delicias Theater was one of the of traditional Chinese theater in the of the of In the the theater to its space with are by the of the are in the By in Delicias Theater, which had only integration of Chinese business is a to the of the theater of to that were brought over from San or to Peru. However, this process is as it a range of such as the of their social the of new and of the in the the Cantonese opera transnational Wing Chung Ng that this led to the of theaters in North America and the of theater the of the of the on the Delicias Theater, to that it the of Chinese theater companies Peru. This was by the Peruvian which Chinese immigrants from the immigration had been in place since the from business to Chinese workers and companies led to a of for new However, a on by of the to the From the to this were to to Peru a of people provided by the Chinese to the of These were and to traditional Chinese theater companies to to the of an immigration and transnational the for traditional Chinese theater in Peru during the This the as the Chinese community in Peru was strategies in to the of Chinese As a theaters to the Chinese community in Peru. civic-political events were with traditional Chinese theater as in previous In the of was with various by the de de la of of the Chinese the Delicias In the the Chinese community other of the roots of traditional Chinese theater remained in Lima. The artistic by Chinese immigrants or their played a role in the traditional art information the is in the documentary a traditional Chinese theater troupes to Peru was of the Chinese community to This was in which that in the Chinese the Lima Theater to for in the Chinese performed a the La Theater to the of the of the of a of several in Chinese one of which was to the in Hong This of the development of traditional Chinese theater in Peru during the and has not been However, it to that the Chinese community their history beyond the As information is the of these artistic and the of their can be and continuity of Chinese theater in Peru was also within the of the Cantonese opera circuit in by the of the a the to of Cantonese opera in to to and these were by Chinese in a years Hong a Cantonese opera films. These an important place in Hong to published in the La de la by some theaters in Lima Cantonese opera and These in a of the films. has the of their screening of the The was performed the theater for the of the of the of on The the and and as a of the of with the out The which can also be as The was the Theater on the first of as part of a of the from The was performed and and the were and main such as and historical the development of traditional Chinese theater in Peru from 1856 to It is that after the it to be mentioned in specific sources, as the following had to the theater, which was on Rastro de Huaquilla the Chinese theater can be on the to Chinese is these and many in Lima are to their to the role of traditional Chinese theater in the community of Peru has in particularly in the of and This can be to a the Chinese in a in a for or and to diverse cultural that from their These factors have contributed to the of cultural and the of memory regarding the history of the community in efforts of and have been the for the process of with the traditional Chinese theater and its However, this has not been a by the Chinese Peruvian community or Peruvian cultural has a documentary research de The on Chinese and their to the memory of Chinese immigration to Peru, of traditional Chinese theater from the century. of its a where of Chinese a book a several published from and This of documentary sources and offers an to recover memory and its historical her with traditional Chinese theater in her on In to valuable not in the documentary sources, this can the of The Chinese community in Lima used to on of Cantonese opera, as of the immigrants were This of across in In Lima, these events were by and had the of the Central Chinese and some commercial to as to Chinese opera The which and that found to be significance as it her perspective on traditional Chinese theater, as a of Chinese Peruvian a of her Chinese efforts to her to theater, to in the art This the of history in understanding the cultural of traditional Chinese theater in the social that traditional Chinese theater in Barrios Altos area of Lima has the locations of these theaters by from of appears in Odalis Valladares's thesis chinos en Lima: In provided a of these in his chino de Lima. traditional Chinese theaters have been by and commercial a of and Latin from the and social has carried out other through the cultural teatro chino en and “La en a by a the del en el Perú and to various sources of such as journalistic book and in and in The was developed as part of the research for the of and of the de San

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