The performance is based closely on the book of the same title by Ray Huang, the legendary scholar renowned in Asia, America and Europe, and it is highly regarded among historians and scholars. The script of this performance is a collaboration of Mathias Woo with Zhang Jianwei, the screenplay writer of the controversial television historical drama, For the Sake of the Republic. The performance evolves around six monologues delivered by the six characters from the book, and the story is focused on the year 1587, a bland year with no distinct events in the Ming Dynasty, and yet bearing great impact on the history of China in the following decades.

Acknowledgement: Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Kun Opera Theatre

The premiere of this programme in 2006 was sponsored by the Leisure and Cultural Department