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‘Brilliant’: Chinese opera troupe’s retelling of ancient love story has a surprise ending

At the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the new work ‘Red Wedding Bed’, based on the Liyuan opera classic, retells the tale of Chen San and Wu Niang

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A scene from “Red Wedding Bed”, Fujian Province Liyuan Opera Inheritance Centre’s retelling of the Southern Song dynasty Chinese tale “Chen San and Wu Niang”, but with a different ending. Photo: courtesy of Hong Kong Arts Festival
Kevin Kwong

The Fujian Province Liyuan Opera Inheritance Centre production of Red Wedding Bed is based on Chen San and Wu Niang, a love story that originated during the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279). The production is based on one of the oldest surviving vernacular (Teochew) opera scripts, dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

Chen San, a scholar from Quanzhou in Fujian province, travels to Chaozhou in Guangdong and meets the beautiful Huang Wu Niang at a Lantern Festival fair, and it is love at first sight.
Wu Niang later throws down lychees wrapped in a handkerchief from her pagoda to express her affection. Chen San, meanwhile, disguises himself as a mirror polisher, visits her home and deliberately breaks a family heirloom so he can stay as a servant to repay the debt, and in doing so be close to Wu Niang.
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As in any classic love story, the course of true love does not run smoothly, and the pair must overcome a series of obstacles before finally uniting.

A scene from Fujian Province Liyuan Opera Inheritance Centre’s “Red Wedding Bed”. Photo: courtesy of HKAF
A scene from Fujian Province Liyuan Opera Inheritance Centre’s “Red Wedding Bed”. Photo: courtesy of HKAF

That is in the original version. The update was a bold, memorable reimagination for the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

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Staged at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Studio Theatre, Red Wedding Bed was not your typical Chinese opera with a lavish set. Instead, the stage was bare, with only a traditional Chinese wedding bed and a few simple props barely visible under the dim lighting. A seven-piece ensemble accompanied the 90-minute performance.

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