Everyone Is from Dream of the Red Chamber

In 1993 Shanghai, the tide of money swept through the streets and alleys, and trendy song-and-dance venues flourished everywhere. The century-old Wu dialect opera was being driven to the brink at every turn.

At the Shibin Lane Red Mansion Opera Troupe, one path led toward a rapidly changing modern world, while the other clung to the traditions passed down through generations. Holding on was hard, changing was hard, and either way seemed a dead end.

A Zhu, the troupe’s leading performer, was fierce and unyielding. She would rather die than let the soul of the opera change, convinced that if the opera lived, she lived, and if it died, her heart would die with it. She would endure hunger and poverty rather than hollow out its heart or ruin the Red Mansion’s old-world charm. A Lin, the troupe’s manager, was ruthlessly practical. Without adapting, they had no way to survive. All he wanted was to keep the troupe together, and he was willing to compromise and make changes to secure a meal and a stage amid the chaos.

Both were devoted to the troupe, but their beliefs clashed. They loved and fought each other, united in purpose yet at odds in approach, arguing and pulling against each other by day and weathering the storm together by night. Their sworn enemy, Liu Laosan, watched them like a hawk, hounding them at every turn and resorting to one underhanded scheme after another. He always struck when they were at their weakest, determined to destroy the Shibin Lane troupe.

From running out of food and begging for help, to disastrous trial performances, clashes over the stage, and ambushes from the shadows, then to capital closing in and ruthless fights over fame and fortune, the troupe endured the darkest days of 1993 and fought to survive. Through the ups and downs of the new century, amid endless temptations and tangled grudges, A Zhu and A Lin ultimately kept the stage alive and stayed true to their original ideals. One generation endured and stood firm, keeping the flame alive for generations to come.

The Red Mansion’s songs never cease, and its performers never leave the stage.