In Beijing, "The Wilderness", one of the most complex and controversial works from China's great playwright Cao Yu, has been staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts. The adaptation by the Tianjin People's Art Theatre has kicked off a series of events to mark the centennial anniversary of the late dramatist.

Poster of drama "The Wilderness"

Against a murky and mysterious backdrop, an army of pottery puppets marched onto the hollow stage. Struggling against destiny, the eight performers who served as a Greek chorus, brought out the sinful and evil side of humanity. A cellist performs sections from Mozart's Requiem throughout the performance.

In the Wilderness, Cao moved away from social realism that had dominated his earlier works such as Thunderstorm and Sunrise, and instead started to dabble in expressionism and symbolism. While this departure was not popular with audiences during early productions, the diluting the socialist polemic, together with a deep view of human nature, makes The Wilderness arguably of one Cao's most accessible works for modern audiences.

While the Tianjin production claims to be utterly faithful to the spirit of the original work, the producers have taken a hatchet to the original play, cutting the text down from 80,000 words to 30,000, while also incorporating a new aesthetic value.

The adaptation has been applauded by Wan Fang, the daughter of Cao Yu. Wan said that this particular version has put the audience on touch with the true spirits of The Wilderness.

Wan Fang, daughter of Cao Yu, said, "The Wilderness has a modern side for the play laid bare of human emotions, their love and woe. It's a straight and full-frontal confrontation with humanity."

More plays are scheduled at the National Center for the Performing Arts, including Thunderstorm and Sunrise, to mark the late literary icon.

Editor: Feng Hui