Abstract

This study examines the interplay of tradition and modernity in contemporary cultural artifacts through the lens of Yang Liping’s reenactment of the Chu-Han Contention, a conflict spanning from August of the first year to December of the fifth year of the Han Dynasty. The study considers the performing arts interpretation, titled Under Siege, as a cultural artifact that navigates the intersection of tradition and modernity, framed within the theoretical paradigms of cultural hybridity and transculturation. Utilizing a qualitative research methodology, the research was conducted at Kunming University, China, and involved eight structured interviews with key informants in the field of Chinese culture. Through a reimagining of the historical narrative of Yu Ji and Xiang Yu, Under Siege combines traditional Chinese motifs with contemporary expressions to challenge dominant global ideologies surrounding gender, identity, and cultural representation. The work disrupts conventional gender norms, integrating local and global cultural dynamics to resist commodification and reflect the ongoing negotiation of cultural identity in a globalized context. This analysis demonstrates how traditional culture is constructed, contested, and resisted in contemporary society.