Play's success down to fine art

Before the Beijing premiere of Five Acts of Life, a dramatization of five short stories by the Chinese writer Lao She (1899-1966), it was heralded for its strong Beijing flavor and the warm reception its "Beijingness" received in Hong Kong in March.

A Beijing newspaper commented that the success of the play in Hong Kong "breaks the rumor that Beijing-style culture can't cross the Yangtze River".

The Beijing flavor of the show is certainly bona fide, as the scriptwriter, director, and actors are all native Beijingers, or people who have lived a large part of their lives in Beijing. Many of the actors are from the Beijing Quju Troupe, believed by many to be the most authentic traditional Beijing opera group.