Director Wang Yansong labeled his 160-minute-long play Baimen Liu (Madam Liu) "epic theater," the term used by Germany's Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) to contrast with "dramatic theater."

Brecht believed that theater should appeal not only to the spectator's feelings but to his or her sense of reason. While still providing entertainment, it should be strongly didactic and capable of provoking social discussion.

Although Wang's Baimen Liu is set against a historical backdrop some 400 years ago, he hopes theater-goers will be stirred to think about their own lives rather than become emotionally involved with the protagonists.

Brecht once said that the difference between "dramatic theater" and "epic theater" is that "...the spectator of dramatic theater says: Yes, I have felt like that too -- just like me -- it's only natural -- it'll never change. The sufferings of this man appall me, because they are inescapable -- that's great art; it all seems the most obvious thing in the world. I weep when they weep, I laugh when they laugh.

"The epic theater's spectator says: I'd never thought about it -- that's not the way. That's extraordinary, hardly believable -- it's got to stop -- the sufferings of this man appall me, because they are unnecessary. That's great art; nothing obvious in it -- I laugh when they weep, I weep when they laugh."

Talented heroine

Wang's Baimen Liu is expected to achieve the latter effect.

Following its premiere in mid-May in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, the play, adapted from a 2,000-page novel and produced by Guangzhou Drama Theater, will be staged at Beijing's Poly Theater from June 10 to 16.

Baimen Liu is set during a time of turmoil: The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), noted for its widespread corruption, was ending. The last emperor had hanged himself from a tree on the hill behind the Forbidden City. The imperial family had fled to the south beyond the Yangtze River and continued their unstable reign temporarily in Nanjing, today's capital of East China's Jiangsu Province.

Meanwhile, the Manchu forces from Northeast China, which later established the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), were steadily gaining ground.

They captured Yangzhou, a neighboring city of Nanjing, and there were bloody battles which took place.

However, Wang does not display the foul wind and the bloodshed of the turbulent scene. Instead, the main thread of the drama is the rarely seen love affair between the 60-year-old renowned scholar Qian Qianyi (1582-1664) and 25-year-old courtesan Liu Rushi (1618-1664).

The play starts during a lavish nightlife scene along the Qinhuai River.

People enjoy the good times singing and dancing at the pavilions, tea houses, and restaurants illuminated by beautiful lanterns along the banks. The intellectuals flirt with the courtesans in gaily-painted pleasure boats shuttling along the river.

The Qinhuai River south of Nanjing had been a place of pleasure and prosperity from the Six Dynasties (222-589) to the Ming and Qing dynasties.

It fostered numerous beautiful sights and sounds, poems as well as legendary romances. The story between Qian and Liu is one of them.

Qian was a respectable scholar and politician who once was the leader of the Ming period's intellectuals to the south of the Yangtze River. They endeavoured to struggle against the Qing Dynasty, but later surrendered to the Qing rulers.

Liu, one of the famous Eight Beauties of the Qinhuai River, excelled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She married Qian, whom she admired and encouraged to support the fight against the Qing Dynasty. She was not willing to submit to the insurgents, and finally committed suicide.

Besides Qian and Liu, the play portrays a number of historical figures including Qian's fellows, Liu's friends -- the courtesans known as the "Eight Beauties," and their lovers, the fatuous emperor of the temporary Ming regime, the unyielding Ming generals and others.

The historical detail provides the play with rich content.

The late Ming Dynasty underwent a changing intellectual climate and the blurring of social boundaries.

The courtesans rose owing to their knowledge of cultural practices. Some courtesans were even able to challenge some of the Neo-Confucian social norms of the time.

Therefore, the eight courtesans featured in the play enjoyed great fame and occupied special positions in recorded history.

Baimen Liu picks one of the eight and uses her perspective to depict the cultural upheaval between the Confucian intellectuals and the "heterogeneous" Manchu forces, instead of displaying the bloody war.

It tries to portray the reactions of the intellectuals of the Ming period to the changing times, along with their personal values relating to fame, wealth and power as well as their personal romantic lives.

Successful adaptation

For Wang Yansong, adapting Baimen Liu from a 2,000-page novel was by no means an easy task.

Author Liu Sifen spent 16 years completing the three-volume work. In 1998, it won the Maodun Literature Award, China's highest prize for literature.

It is a turgid, sprawling and complex story mainly about Liu Rushi, a 17th-century poet, painter, and courtesan.

Guangzhou Drama Theater President Wang Luwei, who also designed the sets for the play, thought about making it into a theatrical production in 2001.

He was not sure about the idea, since it is such a large work lacking a clear storyline and often filled in by poems. He turned to Wang Yansong and asked whether it could be done.

Wang Yansong had also directed another play called Escort (Yajie) for the ensemble and the play won the National Drama Festival in 2001.

The Shanghai-born director finished reading the long novel in half a month, contemplated some ideas to adapt it during another month and then rethought these ideas for one more month before he went to Guangzhou to talk to Liu.

The writer applauded the director's understanding and approach.

After watching the debut in Guangzhou, Liu said he is satisfied with the adaptation.

"Respecting my novel, director Wang has given the play his own creativity," Liu said. "Limited by time, some complicated parts that I devoted dozens of pages to are perfectly symbolized on stage."

But he also pointed out that the play fails to give a convincing reason about why Liu marries Qian, who is 35 years older than her, and why she commits suicide.

"It might be because the play is much shorter than the novel," Liu said.

Guangzhou-based theater producer and critic Wang Wei said: "It is seldom for a local to produce such a splendid play. 'Baimen Liu' is sure to be a classic piece for the Guangzhou Drama Theater."

"The play is short on dramatic plot, but the director is good at characterizing and the cast vividly portrays the mental world of the roles, which makes up for that defect," he said.

The humble director attributes the success of the play to the performers, especially Du Yuan as Qian and Han Zaifen as Liu.

Han is one of the most popular Huangmei Opera actresses in China. Director Wang settled on her to play Liu because Han is good at singing and dancing much like Liu.

But Han performs far beyond his expectation.

"She is excellent in the play. She does not sing or dance, both of which are her advantages as a Huangmei Opera actress," he said. "However, she commands the stage with her acting and speaking."

Wang Luwei designed a splendid and true-to-life Qinhuai scene to highlight the play. And the set extends nearly 40-metres on one side of the auditorium, which brings the audience into the characters' lives.

(China Daily June 11, 2004)