The Peking Opera The Grand Mansion Gate, adapted from a renowned Chinese TV drama of the same name, will be staged at the Guangzhou Opera House at the end of July, marking a grand finale of the 2019 Guangzhou Art Festival.

A stage photo of the Peking Opera The Grand Mansion Gate. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

The play is adapted by Li Zhuoqun, a 32-year-old director and scriptwriter, and co-directed by Li Zhuoqun and Guo Baochang, a 79-year-old director and scriptwriter as well as the director of the original TV drama. Led by the young and talented Li, the post-80s team with an average age of about 30, committed full devotion and professionalism to creating one masterpiece that may last long. This also means that the Peking Opera version of The Grand Mansion Gate has a young feel.

A stage photo of the Peking Opera The Grand Mansion Gate. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

The Grand Mansion Gate revolves around the ups and downs of a Beijing family surnamed Bai from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the 1940s. After two years of hardship from programming to rehearsing, The Grand Mansion Gate awaits its debut in Guangzhou, only to bring you back to the legends of Family Bai, the hundred-year herbal medicine mastery.

Peking Opera, known as jingju in Chinese, has a history of more than 200 years and was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2010.

A stage photo of the Peking Opera The Grand Mansion Gate. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Synopsis:

Bai Jingqi, a rebellious and ambitious young man, carries the hopes of his family, which runs a traditional Chinese medicine store in Beijing. Bai falls in love with Yang Jiuhong, a prostitute who redeemed herself to accompany him. Despite his family's objections, Bai marries Yang and brings her into the family, where she faces unfairness and rejection.

Peking Opera actor Du Jie plays Bai Jingqi in The Grand Mansion Gate. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Peking Opera actress Dou Xiaoxuan plays Yang Jiuhong in The Grand Mansion Gate. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Time: 7:30pm, Tuesday - Wednesday, July 30th - 31st, 2019

Ticket: RMB 80, 180, 280, 380, 480VIP (government-funded performance)

Venue: Opera Hall, Guangzhou Opera House

Add.: No. 1 Zhujiang Xilu, Tianhe District, Guangzhou

Nearby metro station: Zhujiang New Town, Line 3 or 5

Duration: 130min (With no intermission)

Performed in Chinese, with Chinese subtitles

Note: Children under 1.2 meters aren’t allowed to attend.

Author: Monica Liu

Editor: Chris