Special Anglo-Chinese play celebrates playwrights Tang and Shakespeare

A special production, A Midsummer Night’s DREAMING Under the Southern Bough, is staged at the University of Leeds on July 27, 2016. [Photo/Provided to China Daily]

To mark the 400th anniversary of the death of playwright William Shakespeare and his Chinese counterpart Tang Xianzu, a special production, A Midsummer Night's DREAMING Under the Southern Bough, was staged at the University of Leeds.

The show is a mash-up of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's comedy of magic and mismatched love, and Tang's A Dream Under the Southern Bough, an opera about a soldier's fantastical journey through a kingdom of ants.

The global collaboration was jointly performed on Wednesday by students from both the University of Leeds and Beijing's University of International Business and Economics.

Speaking at the event last night, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming said: "More than 400 years ago, two drama masters - Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare - were born in China and Britain. Tang and Shakespeare had completely different cultural backgrounds. But this didn't prevent them from creating equally popular plays that have been passed on from generation to generation."

A special production, A Midsummer Night’s DREAMING Under the Southern Bough, is staged at the University of Leeds on July 27, 2016. [Photo/Provided to China Daily]

The two great playwrights died in the same year, 1616. They are considered the "soul of the age" in the Renaissance of the West and the humanist enlightenment of the East.

Liu said, "This was by no means a mere historical coincidence. These two literary giants did not just happen to be Chinese and British during the same historical period. In fact, Tang and Shakespeare are the best examples to show that China and the UK are both great nations with a time-honored culture and history."

He added, "During President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK last year, he proposed that China and the UK could jointly commemorate the 400th anniversary of the passing of Tang and Shakespeare."

Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming joins the cast and crew for photo taking after the show. [Photo/Provided to China]

"This is an excellent opportunity to advance and deepen exchanges and mutual understanding between the peoples of our two countries. This proposal was immediately greeted with warm enthusiasm from the cultural and educational circles of our two countries," he said.

Li Ruru, Professor of Chinese theatre studies at the University of Leeds, who is one of those leading the Anglo-Chinese theatrical project, said, "Shakespeare and his Chinese contemporary Tang Xianzu are the greatest playwrights of their respective theatres. Their plays make us weep, laugh and imagine; they also touch our hearts and souls."

"Our project, with Chinese students working on an English play and British students on a Chinese play, allows the two traditions to talk to each other and the two groups to commune with spirit, voice, body, and breath. It is a genuine intercultural practice, both thought-provoking and a great pleasure for everyone involved.

Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming speaks at the opening of the Leeds Intercultural Theater Festival on July 27, 2016. [Photo/Provided to China Daily]

"The project is making people think about the value and relevance of two classic plays to contemporary society and will also enhance cultural exchange between China and the UK."

Contact the reporter at: wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com