A Dream of Red Mansions

Created in late 18th century, The Dream of Red Mansions is one of Chinese Four Great Classics and a world-renowned novel. It portrays an extended family in ancient China through the story of heavenly fairies experiencing the human world. The book awes generations of readers with the magnificent group portraits it paints.

The production’s plot centers around the love between Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. It aims for faithfulness to the original novel and innovation at the same time. A group of creative young artists were invited to rekindle the story with a unique modern view. The production drew from ancient paintings’ aesthetics and Chinese antiquity to devise graceful and elegant dance scenes. It’s an attribute to Chinese traditional culture and a revival of national classics through contemporary lens.

The production inherits the structure of traditional Chinese novels. The twelve dance numbers, Entry, Illusory Land, Covetous Whispers, Imperial Visitation, Promenade, Burial of Flowers, Lantern Festival, Loss of Jade, Warding-off Evil, Family Reunion, Flower Burial and Back to the Great Wilderness, corresponding to twelve independent chapters, which narrate the story together.

A Dream Of Red Mansions, a dance drama commission by Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts (JSCPA), advised by the Research Institute of The Dream of the Red Chamber at Chinese National Academy of Arts, planned by Jiangsu Cultural Investment Group, produced by JSCPA, jointly produced by Nanjing Chinese Orchestra and Lixing Studio. The production has won the 13th China Dance "Lotus Award" for Dance Drama and the Outstanding Production Award at the 18th Splendor Awards, is now one of Chinese audience’s favourite dance dramas.

The production is co-directed by two dance artists who have won numerous awards at home and abroad. It features leading playwright, composer, lighting designer, set designer, and makeup designer in China. A star-studded cast performs this piece, including outstanding dancers of the new generation as leads and dancers from JSCPA Artists in Residence. This group of dancers in their prime approaches the Chinese classic with modern perspectives, and recreates the marvelous kingdom of youth in the “Grand View Garden”.

Plot Synopsis：

I. Entry:

All that you see and hear is the nobility.

If not in the mundane,

how could you learn such extravagance…

II.Illusory Land:

Beyond the Sphere of Parting Sorrow

In the Sea of Brimming Grief

“When false is taken for true, true becomes false;

If non-being turns into being, being becomes non-being”.

The lonely souls in fantasy

Acting the fools.

III. Covetous Whispers:

The pledge between plant and stone

The well-matched gold and jade.

Is the encounter destined?

Hesitant eyes linger,

Thousands of words yet to say.

IV. Imperial Visitation:

Bouquets dressed in embroidered silk

Flames lick the boiling oil.

In the midst of the bustle,

Flowers bloom and tears rain

The unspeakable sorrows.

V. Promenade:

Striking clock and dressing mirror

Watching the tumultuous feast collapses

Through a fleck of dust.

VI. Burial of Flowers:

In the city of sorrow

Wind shatters the young hearts

Wherever it blows.

No appreciation nor resonance

I mourn myself by making the flowers’ burial.

VII. Lantern Festival:

Torches igniting the sky,

Powdered incense strewing the ground.

Golden gates and jade doors,

Like palace where deities dwell.

Gone in ashes in a blink

The wondrous world of lanterns,

firework, flowers and jewel.

VIII. Loss of Jade:

Alas! Come and gone without a trace

By the ancient pine at the foot of Qinggeng Peak..

To seek it, cross myriads of mountains:

Entering my gate with a smile you will meet again.

IX. Warding-off Evil:

Heaven and Earth witness the wedding perform.

Red veil in a dazed dream

Tears,

Drenching the dear memories.

X. Family Reunion:

Joy and sorrow alike are false

Desire and longing arise from fool.

XI. Flower Burial:

Here, the girls close as sisters

Their outstanding talents and appearances

One can only compare to heavenly

Goddesses

XII. Back to the Great Wilderness:

The vast, desolate wilderness

To which I return.

ACADEMIC GUIDANCE: The Research Institute of A Dream of Red Mansions, Chinese National Academy of Arts

PLANNING: Jiangsu Cultural Investment & Management Group Co., Ltd.

PRODUCED BY: Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts

CO-PRODUCED BY: Nanjing Chinese Orchestra

CO-PRODUCED BY: LI Xing Studio

PRODUCER: LIAO Yi

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: LI Sisi | GU Ping

ORIGINAL AUTHOR: CAO Xueqin

DIRECTORS: LI Xing | LI Chao

PLAYWRIGHTS: CUI Lei | LI Yicheng

MUSIC CONSULTANT: ZHANG Lie

COMPOSER: ZHAO Bo

SET DESIGNER: HU Yanjun

LIGHTING / LIGHT MEDIA DESIGNER: XIAO Lihe

COSTUME DESIGNER: LI Kun

STYLE DESIGNER: JIA Lei

MULTIMEDIA DESIGNER: YANG Yi

CHOREOGRAPHERS : LI Chao | LI Xing

MAIN CAST:

LI Xing | LI Yanchao | LI Qian | HU Jie | ZHANG Yashu

WANG Minrui | DOU Shuaifang | LUO Yuwen | GOU Chanchan

FENG Jingya | WANG Jinge | QIN Danni | WANG Yu | ZHOU Lijun

CHEN Xiaowan | JIANG Aidong | LUO Ying | XIANG Zhuonan | XU Yijie

YU Jianwei | SONG Yulong | CHANG Hongji | LIU Xiaohan| QIN Xi| LI Wenxin| WANG Yuwei| HAN Yaqi | CHAI Yidan | DUAAN Linmiao | LIN Tingying | LIU Peng | LI Tong etc.

PRESENTER: THE DANCE TROUPE OF JSCPA