Diplomatic Negotiation and Competition Between Groups in the Case of Yinling in Late Qing Dynasty

Abstract: There were a lot of news of cases of yinling (" 淫伶”, debauchery actor) in Shanghai newspapers after 1900. The case of Li Chunlai was one of the most influential, for Li Chunlai was accused by the guild of Cantonese, and several Sino-foreign diplomatic issues were triggered during the trial of the case. However, many doubts point to the fact that the charge against Li Chunlai was actually premeditated. Public opinion that yinling should be severely punished led to Li Chunlai being sentenced. Cases of yinling which frequently occurred in Shanghai were essentially not adultery. They were the stigma of other social groups on actors, which reflected internal conflicts and fierce competition in the process of the rise of modern group. The competition originated from the change of the status of the actors, which was typically embodied in the birth of the term lingjie (" 伶界”, theatrical circles). From the strategies adopted by the actors to deal with the cases, including hiring foreign lawyers, taking advantage of the special power structure in the International Settlement. It can also indicated that the actors were no longer politically and legally dominated.