Nearly 40 years ago, renowned playwright and theater director Stan Lai staged Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, which has gone through more than 10 editions under Lai's direction and is considered his magnum opus to this day.

The play tells the story of two stage crews accidentally booking the same stage for rehearsal — a comedy titled Peach Blossom Land — a farcical rendition of a utopia in ancient China, and a tragedy — Secret Love — where a young couple gets separated during the War of Liberation (1946-49).

In Secret Love, both individuals, Jiang Binliu and Yun Zhifan, migrate to Taiwan without one knowing about the other and continue to live their lives. After 40 years, on his hospital bed, Jiang comes to know that Yun might also be in Taiwan and publishes a notice in a newspaper resulting in an emotional reunion.

With many audience members moved by the story and wanting to learn more about the characters' life trajectories, Lai wrote River/Cloud, a spinoff of the poignant love story, which premiered in Taipei in 2021. From October, a modified edition of the production is due to tour major cities in the Chinese mainland.

The story unfolds as the lovers send each other letters, most of which were lost in transit.

Chang Chen, a famed film actor from Taiwan, plays Jiang. He joined Ding Nai-chu, theater producer and CEO of Theatre Above, during a news conference at the theater in Shanghai on July 20.

During the talk, he said Jiang is a character he is keen to portray, as the protagonist in the play comes from Changchun, Jilin province, which is also the hometown of Chang's grandfather.

"My grandfather passed away some years ago and I wasn't that familiar with him either, due to the age gap. But he often appeared in my dreams," Chang says. "I think it is a good kind of twist of fate that I could play a character from his generation."

Apart from Chang, the production features Hsiao Ai, a veteran theater actress who had portrayed the role of Yun in 1991, as well as theater practitioners from Taiwan and young performers from Theatre Above, founded by Lai in 2015.

"Hsiao sheds tears during every read-through. She understands the character so well, as if she and the character are one and the same. I find this truly remarkable," Chang says.

"When we're backstage, we are on opposite sides of the stage, and I see what she's doing. She always arrives early and stands there quietly, engrossed in the character. I think this is what goes to make a great performer."

Apart from the many stage versions of Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, the story has also been adapted for cinema in 1992, with renowned actress Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia as the female lead.

For the new production, Lin and Ismene Ting, a theater director and actress who also starred in the film, have written some of the letters exchanged by the protagonists.

Hu Defu, better known as Ara Kimbo, a pioneer of Taiwan folk music, will make a cameo in selected performances, and set designer Daniel Ostling has created a multi-compartment structure to present the phases the characters go through in their lives.

"I have 40 years of experience in stage productions and among all the productions I've worked on, River/Cloud is probably the most poetic. I am delighted to have brought this piece to life, which tells the story of my parents' generation, focusing on Taipei from the 1960s to the '80s," Ding says.

The play is scheduled to tour cities including Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. From Nov 1 to 3, it will be staged at Theatre Above in Shanghai.

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