"The Great Revenge" tells a famed story of ancient China about a king who seems to right a wrong. But in this dramatization by the Beijing People's Art Theater, the main message of the play is a warning about the corruptions of power. The play will run in late October as part of the 17th China Shanghai International Arts Festival.
The drama is based on a well-known ancient story of King Goujian's Revenge about 2,000 years ago in China. Goujian was once king of a southern state, but after being defeated by the neighboring state of Wu, he was taken captive and condemned to servitude. Three years later, when he was eventually allowed to return home, he vowed revenge.
There have been many stage adaptations of this story, but this one by the Beijing theater, titled "The Great Revenge," takes the drama a step further. It also tells the story of King Goujian after his victorious revenge, which most other versions omit.
Bai Hua, 87, the writer of the show, said the drama was created to remind people to learn from history.
"The King of Goujian is seen as a hero in Chinese history. But once he got back to the throne, he became the same tyrant as his rival. I think it teaches us a huge lesson. All the Chinese should learn lessons from this story: how power corrupts man; the more power a man has, the further man can fall," Bai said.
Famous actor Pu Cunxin stars as Fan Li, the minister of King Goujian. Fan is famous for being crucial in advising and carrying out King Goujian's plan for revenge, and for falling in love with one of China's legendary beauties, Xi Shi. After toiling to victory, the character gives up his position as a minister to live a quiet life with her.
"I believe the audience can feel the struggle of Fan Li. He is on a path of revenge, after ten year's preparation. But Xi Shi fascinates him, while he has to put his country as priority over all. I would probably make the final choice like Fan Li did in the end," Pu said.
Beijing People's Art Theater is a leading drama organization in China. Ticket prices for the show range from 80 to 880 yuan.
