Play about Du Fu returns to Beijing stage

Du Fu, a play that tells the life story of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet of the same name, opened at Beijing's Capital Theater on Oct 17.

Written by Guo Qihong, directed by Feng Yuanzheng, and produced by Beijing People's Art Theater, it focuses on the last 15 years of the master poet. After the 755 An Lushan Rebellion led to conflict across the Tang empire, Du Fu, who was working as a minor official at the time, was forced to live the life of a wanderer. Since its premiere in 2019, the play has been staged four times.

According to Feng, much of the rehearsal was spent reading the poems contained in the script.

"We needed to understand the poems before we could portray the characters," says Feng, who also plays the lead role.

Young actors and actresses who recently joined the theater also performed.

The play runs until Nov 2.