Source: CCTV.com

08-23-2007 10:56

One of the most beloved classics of modern Chinese theatre is Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land. It's a play about two plays. The premise is that both plays are in rehearsal on the same stage at the same time. The comedy-drama, premiered in Taipei in 1986. It's now on its fourth run in Beijing. This time, it has a more stellar cast. Actors from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan rallied, to stage what they call, "a ground-breaking cross-straits three place" version.

On stage, two rehearsals take place simultaneously. One play is Secret Love, in which two young lovers are forced to part.

It's a modern tragedy set at the dawn of the Chinese revolution. The other is Peach Blossom Spring, a bawdy period drama about a depressed fisherman who stumbles into Shangri-la.

Mainland actress Yuan Quan plays the parted lover. The role has been played by four generations of actresses over twenty years. The newly-signed Yuan Quan says the part is a classic that defies changes.