Key characters of Peking Opera Romance of the Western Chamber — Cui Yingying (center), Zhang Sheng and Hongniang — which will be staged at Mei Lanfang Theatre in Beijing on Friday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Audience favorite, Romance of the Western Chamber, set to charm a new generation, Chen Nan reports.

When it comes to classic Chinese romantic tales, Romance of the Western Chamber is high on the chart. Written by Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) playwright Wang Shifu, it tells the story of a young scholar Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying, daughter of a court minister, falling in love after meeting by chance in a temple.

Since Cui is strictly "watched" by her mother, Zhang has to express his love in a secret way by reading aloud a poem outside the wall of the temple. When a group of robbers besiege Cui and her mother, Cui's mother declares that she will allow her daughter to marry whoever can save them. With a friend's help, Zhang manages to rescue them, but the mother refuses to honor her promise because he is poor. With the help of Cui's maid, Hongniang, they eventually marry, despite the opposition.

The classic story has been adapted into various art forms, from contemporary plays to traditional Chinese operas, such as Kunqu Opera and Peking Opera.

On July 20, the China National Peking Opera Company announced its latest rendition of Romance of the Western Chamber, which will be staged at Mei Lanfang Theatre in Beijing on Friday.

Peking Opera, also known as jingju, is a 200-year-old art form that combines singing, dancing, acrobatics and martial arts.

"The story of Romance of the Western Chamber is very popular among Chinese audiences. It was a pioneering work about supporting the freedom of marriage. For the feudal society, love was not supposed to be a basis for marriage, as most marriages were arranged by the parents," says Wang Yong, president of the company. "It's full of drama, separation, reunion, heartbreak and a happy ending."

Ye Shaolan, an 80-year-old Peking Opera artist, is the director of the latest adaptation of Romance of the Western Chamber.

Back in 1959, marking the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a Peking Opera production, Romance of the Western Chamber, was adapted by Chinese dramatist Tian Han (1898-1968). Actors and actresses from the China National Peking Opera Company and the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing performed in the production.