Theatre

A Legend Retold through the Art of the Body
“The disaster of lower palace” ── Against the backdrop of the Era of Spring and Autumn, a tragedy arose from the slaughter of noble clan of Zhao in the Jin State by the treacherous minister, Tu’an Gu who framed them up, and ended with the revenge by the surviving orphan of Zhao after grown up. Being the first Chinese drama translated into European languages, this enduring tale also fell into the hands of numerous historians and artists, where traces of the tale are scattered in the Records of the Grand Historian (Shi Ji), Commentary of Zuo (Zuo Zhuan), New Preface (Xin Xu) and Garden of Sayings (Shuo Yuan).
The Orphan of Zhao presented in Peking Opera was the most poignant one, with the sacrifice of the minister Gongsun Chujiu and Cheng Ying’s own baby boy in replacement for the orphan of Zhao. Another version recorded in the Aristocratic Family of Zhao, Shi Ji, however, stated that Cheng Ying didn’t swap his own son for the orphan, but displacing so with the baby of his neighbor instead. Yet, Zuo Zhuan narrated an entirely different story, revealing the slaughter had nothing to do with heartrending moments or a call for justice, but just the result of adultery between the uncle and nephew’s wife. As with any classic, numerous versions exist. Can we find out the absolute truth? Without stage settings nor historical costumes, the show retells the legend in sinuous, metaphorical body movements. A powerful piece not to be missed!