Last week saw a wave of plays hitting theaters in Beijing, despite big-budget competition from movies. The Village, Shibalixiang, and A Pipe Dream were among the most anticipated.
With so many dramas at the same time, it may be difficult for audiences to decide which should be their first choice. But most theaters have added extra seats to deal with increased demand.
The Village
Directed by famous Taiwanese director Lai Sheng-chuan, The Village raises awareness of the juan cun, military dependents' villages built in the late 1940s and 1950s to serve as provisional housing for former Kuomintang soldiers and their families in Taiwan, after they fled the mainland in 1949.
There's a lot of controversy about the subject matter - not surprisingly in the capital but also Taiwan, where these temporary, haphazard and badly constructed accommodations were blighted with urban problems such as dereliction, abandonment, decay, and slums. Many were targeted for demolition in the 1990s and replaced with high-rise apartments, with new land rights supposedly created for the dwellers. Today, barely 170 out of 879 still exist.
Shibali Fragrance
Shibali Fragrance is a modern version of a traditional Hebei Province local opera. It describes the rapid growth of Shiba village, Beijing's Fengtai District and became the opening ceremony drama for the 9th Beijing International Drama and Dance season.
The traditional season featured Hebei local opera empathizing this year's theme - "innovation and classics" - and presented traditional Chinese culture to the world.
Until January 15, 22 domestic and foreign dramas will be staged for Beijingers.
