The Peony Pavilion: Wandering in the Garden, An Interrupted Dream

In the realm of Kunqu opera, The Peony Pavilion and The Palace of Eternal Life stand as two monumental classics. The role of Emperor Minghuang in The Palace of Eternal Life belongs to the Daguan Sheng (high-ranking official male role) category in Kunqu—a role demanding exceptional mastery. Cai Zhengren, who has portrayed both the romantic scholar Liu Mengmei in The Peony Pavilionand the dashing Emperor Minghuang in The Palace of Eternal Life, is celebrated in opera circles as "the Young Yu Zhenfei," "the Living Emperor Minghuang," and "the Premier Guan Sheng (noble male lead) of Kunqu." A recipient of numerous awards, he was also honored in 2007 as a National Representative Inheritor of Kunqu Opera, a title under China's Intangible Cultural Heritage safeguarding system.

On this occasion, driven by his mission to perpetuate Kunqu traditions, Cai Zhengren personally took on the role of director. Leading three outstanding young actors and musicians from Zhejiang's Yongjia Kunqu Opera Troupe, he arrived at Mountain View Theater. With the assistance of Ji Chao—a young Kunqu practitioner equally devoted to the revival and transmission of Chinese opera—the program adopted a "lecture-demonstration" format. Cai provided incisive analysis of The Interrupted Dream, the most iconic scene from Ming dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion, followed by a refined performance.