TV drama now a peking opera

The Grand Mansion Gate, the story of the Beijing-based Bai family through one of the most politically tumultuous periods of modern Chinese history, reappears in a new avatar. Chen Nan reports.

It has been 16 years since Chinese director and scriptwriter Guo Baochang made Da Zhai Men, or The Grand Mansion Gate, a 72-episode TV drama based on the story of his adoptive father.

Considered a classic with a star-studded cast, including Chinese filmmakers Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Jiang Wen, The Grand Mansion Gate is the story of the Beijing-based Bai family through one of the most politically tumultuous periods of modern Chinese history, spanning from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) up until World War II.