Historical Background
In Ancient China, entertainers were highly skilled in the scholarly arts and performance with many becoming renowned for their poetry, calligraphy, painting, archery, horse-back riding, resilience etc. However, the situation began to decline in the Mongol-ruled Yuan Dynasty as they valued martial prowess over the scholarly arts. In the Han-ruled Ming Dynasty, some more entertainers became renowned for their talents but that couldn't compete with the overall decline of the Chinese Empire.
Qing Dynasty, things became messy. Changes in laws brought changes in education regarding the entertainers, instead of the romantic poetry of the past, they became more similar to the ...