Xiaojing Hutong, written by LI Longyun, was premiered at the Capital Theatre in 1985, starring artists LIN Liankun, WANG Ling, TAN Zongyao and LÜ Zhong. It was revived in 2013 under the direction of Chinese actor YANG Lixin.

 

Set in Xiaojing hutong in Beijing, the play tells about how average people in all walks of life lived in the three decades from pre-Liberation days until the end of the Ten-year calamity, implicitly revealing an extraordinary road taken by PRC during these three decades.

 

Despite their rough fates, the humour, optimistic, generous characters add the warm-hearted elements in the play. Besides, plenty of daily languages and social manners reproduce the local customs peculiar to old Beijing.

 

 

Xiaojing Hutong, located in southern Beijing, is inhabited by a crowd of average people: electric turner LIU Jiaxiang and his wife, flour shop owner Mr. SHI and his wife, socks shop owner XU Liu and his newly-wed who used to be a prostitute, CHEN Jiuling who was forced to work as a cook in the Kuomintang Army, the former policeman WU Qi, and the fake medicine dealer Xiaohuanzi, a hooligan...The Liberation Army is besieging the city, and people beginning to face the challenges in the new era.

 

The old neighbours experience the ups and downs, sorrows and joys of living with the three decades' development of Xiaojing Hutong. They decide to control their own destinies.

 

 

As a national theatre company of China, Beijing People's Art Theatre possesses its unique performing style. The theatre was established on June 12th, 1952, and the dramatist master CAO Yu was the theatre's first president.

 

Ever since its establishment, the theatre has put on nearly 300 plays in different styles and they are domestic works in different times as well as works from different countries.

 

Its repertoire's great diversity in theme, superb and rigorous stagecraft, artistic style of great subtlety and emotional depth are very impressive to audience.

 

Beijing People's Art Theatre has performed all over the country in its half-century history, with its distinctive acting style rooted in the audiences. Besides, the performances of The Teahouse performed in Germany, France and Switzerland in 1980 was the beginning of Chinese spoken drama going abroad.

 

 

Creative
Playwright: LI Yunlong
Director: DIAO Guangqin
Revival Stage Directors: YANG Lixin
Designers: HUANG Qingze, YAN Xiumin, FANG Yi