BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- An acclaimed production of Lao She's satire "Looking West to Chang'an" will be staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in February.
"Looking West to Chang'an" is a five-act satire based on "the first political fraud case of the People's Republic of China," first shown in 1956. It depicts a relative nobody who swindles his way through bureaucracy to take official positions, later being found out.
"Corruption, egoism, bureaucracy and fetishism in the play remain in this day and age," said Yuan Jinhong, stage director of this production. The drama is highly ironic, and the more than half-century-old story is still relevant today.
In the play, the protagonist forges his resume, takes other's identity, and claims to be a "combat hero." Using his cunning, he wanders several domestic cities, obtaining positions in important state organs before others cotton on.
The play was first staged by the former China Youth Art Theater in 1956. This NCPA production made its debut in September 2017 and will be performed for a third round from Feb. 8 till Feb. 14.
Lao She (1899-1966) was a celebrated Chinese novelist and dramatist, best known for his novels "Rickshaw Boy" and "Four Generations under One Roof," and the play "Teahouse."
