Produced and staged by the National Theatre of China, with GUO Baochang and LI Xinling as the directors and LIU Shen as the playwright, the drama
The Grand Mansion Gate is adapted from the TV series
The Grand Mansion Gate, which consists of more than 70 episodes. The stage version, which is two hours and a half long, depicts how the BAI family rises and falls during almost a century from the early years of the Guangxu reign till the founding of the P.R.C.
The TV series presents a panoramic picture of the general historical background. By contrast, the drama stays closer to the theme of “The Grand Mansion Gate”. With “Seventh Master” BAI Jingqi as the core, it reveals all the joys and sorrows of people living within the Grand Mansion. The story begins with a “time-crossing conversation” between the elderly BAI Jingqi on night patrol and his younger self. During the interludes, director GUO Baochang talks about the history of this family. He shares the most classic plot devices and most distinctive characters one by one. This helps to immerse the audience in the touching story of the BAI family that takes place in the Herb Hall, where they “behave in good conscience with their hearts laid bare to heaven”. Since its premiere in 2013, the drama
The Grand Mansion Gate has been highly praised everywhere it’s staged, with tickets sold out soon each time.
From the Director
It's not easy to distil a 70-episode TV series into a two-and-a-half-hour drama. The playwright LIU Shen has taken three years and revised five times to bring the drama on stage. The public love The Grand Mansion Gate, so I’m convinced they will come to the theatre no matter how the drama is directed. I have been enjoying the extraordinary enthusiasm of the audience for ten years. Last year, when I was filming in Hengdian, a young man paid a surprise visit to me. He said, “I’ve driven all the way from Shanghai to tell you that I’ve just got a son. My surname is BAI, and I named him BAI Jingqi (hero of The Grand Mansion Gate).” After saying this, he hurriedly drove back to Shanghai.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all of those who have supported and loved The Grand Mansion Gate. You have given me so much warmth that I am deeply touched. I hope the drama The Grand Mansion Gate will bring new delight to all of you.
Creative
Presenter: TIAN Qinxin
Chief Executive Producer: GONG Baojiang
Executive Producers: BAI Xuefeng, CHENG Peng
Playwright: LIU Shen
Directors: GUO Baochang, LI Xinling
Revival Directors: BAI Haotian, LI Ren
Executive Director: LI Jianpeng
Composer: ZHAO Jiping
Set Designer: XUE Dianjie
Lighting Designers: XING Xin, WANG Qi
Costume Designer: FANG Weiguo
Make-up Designer: LIU Yang
Sound Designer: CHEN Bing
Props Designer: DANG Xianyi
Performance Director: LIU Peiqi
Stage Supervisor: JIANG Xueting
Technical Manager: ZHANG Xinhe
Performance Coordinators: YANG Shuai, LI Jing, WANG Mian
Promotion Coordinator: LIU Yingqian
Cast Coordinator: LI Yuehao
Set Coordinator: JIANG Yumeng
Cast
BAI Jingqi: WU Yue / WANG Xin
HUANG Chun / YANG Jiuhong / LI Xiangxiu: CHANG Yuhong
BAI Wenshi: ZHAO Rui
BAI Yingyu: LIU Peiqi / ZHANG Shuo
WANG Xiguang: LIU Mumei / MI Xuedong
BAI Yuting: CHEN Ying / WU Zhen
BAI Jiali: XIA Meng
BAI Jingye: XUE Fei / SHI Guanghui
DONG Daxing: HAN Minghao
Boss DUAN: LI Jianpeng
BAI Jingqi, in his 80s, hobbles around the courtyard of the mansion with a lantern in his hand, doing a routine inspection that he has been performing for decades. The Baicaoting Pharmacy established by his ancestors has flourished under his endeanvours is facing disintegration, and the family children are clamouring for a share of the property. He is overwhelmed by mixed feelings. The old man’s thoughts wander back to his youth, recalling the hardships he faced in preserving his family’s business and the women he loved.
Amid his struggles against the Japanese invaders, traitors and Kuomintang officials, he demonstrates the courage and righteousness of a genuine Chinese. He has upheld the integrity of Chinese businessmen by setting fire to counterfeit medicines. He holds a deep affection for his mother and daughter, and he is the one who stands up for his infatuated sister’s marriage. He was in love with HUANG Chun, an illegitimate daughter of his enemy’s family, then he passionately chased YANG Jiuhong, a woman from a miserable background, and later, he even tried to marry the poor girl LI Xiangxiu against all odds. He is a man who has broken through feudal moral values and family rules, demonstrating his charming and unconventional character.
The drama The Grand Mansion Gate tells a legendary story in the intersection of history and reality, where enmity, life and death, love and hatred are presented, leaving the audience spellbound and pondering for more.
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