Finding meaning in relationships

Zou Jingzhi, well-known for his TV drama scripts, experimented with writing for the stage for the first time back in 2002.

Eight years later, and after more than 400 performances at home and abroad, his play I Love Peach Blossom is still beloved by audiences.

The eighth version of the play is now on at Beijing's Dayin Theater.

Zou's play draws inspiration from Xingshi Hengyan (Constant Words to Awaken the World), a collection of short stories compiled by Feng Menglong of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Set more than 1,000 years ago, the play looks at the complexity of human emotions through the relationship between a man and a woman.

The story is designed as a play-within-a-play and keeps the audience captivated in the plot's twists and turns, as the story switches between the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and modern times.

Moving between the past and the present, the play has three actors playing six roles.

"Human emotions are complicated especially when it comes to relationships between men and women," Zou says. "Women like to guess what the man is thinking about, and so do the men. But sometimes the two sides read the wrong meanings. The play is about mixed messages."

He also points out that the play is a heads-up to people that choices always have consequences.

In line with Zou's style, the play is punctuated with poetic lines and witty dialogue.

Adept at writing Chinese historical stories, Zou rose to instant fame in 1995 after the TV series Emperor Kang Xi's Private Visits, which became hugely popular across the mainland. It prompted the production company to invest in three sequels, all of which were greatly successful.

Zou then wrote the story for director Zhang Yimou's Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles and director John Woo's Red Cliff.

Despite all the acclaim he has won for his TV scripts, Zou says he is addicted to the sounds of theater.

"When I write the script, there is no sound around me. But when the play is performed on stage, there are laughter and tears," he says.

The success of I Love Peach Blossom encouraged Zou to devote more of his time to theater. The play's new version sees his first collaboration with young director Han Han, who Zou says, is best positioned to understand the story.

"He is a young man with big dreams. Although theater plays are not making money, he is still there, sticking to his dreams," Zou says.

For the actors, the play means a constant transition between the past and the present. In the 2009 version, TV actress Mei Ting stunned audiences, playing a Tang Dynasty beauty and a modern woman with equal aplomb. For the 2011 version, another young actress Tu Ling will play the lead role.

China Daily

(China Daily 03/12/2011 page11)