About Revisiting the Tale of the Peach Blossom Fan

Kong Shangren's traditional opera The Peach Blossom Fan tells the love story of Hou Fangyu and Li Xiangjun. And many of the characters and incidents connected with their romance were largely based on fact.

He used these to show the rise and fall of the Ming regime in 1644 and 1645.

Now, 300 years after the falling of Ming, the actual destiny of the characters in The Peach Blossom Fan has become history. However, telling the story from those characters' points of view may offer various endings.

Revisiting the Tale of the Peach Blossom Fan, directed by Xiao Jing, rewrites the story in present terms, with vivid characters struggling against fate in a prosperous but turbulent time.

Credits

Adapted from the play by Kong Shangren

Playwright/Director: Xiao Jing

Dramaturgy: Annie Wang

Cast: Nancy Du, Tang Ke, Wang Xinyu, Zhao Zifu

Original Music: Yang Sitao

Stage & Costume Design: Zhong Huizhen

Lighting Design: Wang Shuzhen

Sound Design: Tian Yulin

Acting Coach: Yang Yuting

Graphic Design: Liu Xinyu

Stage & Costume Design Assistant/Stage Manager: Jia Yunbo

Stage & Costume Design Assistant: Qiu Yanyan

Producer: Wang Xianglong

Executive Producer: Fu Yunluo

About Xiao Jing

Xiao Jing works as a director and playwright. Her major works include the documentary theatre The Brutal Game, which discusses urban crime; the play Long Summer, which focuses on the transformation of the city by the Olympics; and the documentary theatre piece, The Unknown Letters, which views history from a linguistic perspective. Her directorial works include The Naming of Animals, which addresses the relationship between capital, technology and the contemporary individual. Her stage text Annie was included in A Collection of Chinese Plays, published in Denmark, and she was selected for the 2022 The Swiss Arts Council Artist-in-Residence.

About Routine Poems Institute

The Routine Poems Institute (RPI) was founded in 2021, with "What if…?" as the starting point for all of its work, the group introduces historical records and documentary material into the theatre. RPI focused on topics such as the plight of contemporary life, the impact of history on the individual, and the contradictions of urban development. RPI's works involve theatre, installation, performance and writing. It has created stage works such as The Naming of Animals, The Brutal Game and Revisiting the Tale of the Peach Blossom Fan. The installation Before Surging Into History is in progress. Those works have been invited to Aranya Theatre Festival, Beijing Fringe Festival, Hangzhou Theatre Festival and With In-Out Linhai Residency.