BEIJING, July 10 ( tasteallchina ) — Acclaimed Taiwan director Stan Lai has announced in Beijing that his co-created play with the island's TV producer Wang Wei-Chung, “The Village,” will launch its 2024 Chinese mainland tour on July 19 in Shanghai.
This tour features a collaboration between Taiwan and mainland actors.
“The Village” draws its rich narrative from Wang Wei-Chung's personal experiences growing up in military dependents' villages in Taiwan, known as “Juancun.”
The play chronicles the lives of three families through more than half a century. It premiered in Taipei in December 2008, with its first mainland performance in 2010.
“Juancun” refers to the communities established by Taiwan authorities after 1949 to house soldiers and their families who had moved to Taiwan from the mainland. Over time, such villages across Taiwan, totaling more than 800, have gradually disappeared, with only a few preserved.
Lai said the collaboration of actors from different generations and both sides of the Taiwan Strait in “The Village” echoes the play's themes of legacy and continuity. He expressed his hope that this story of nostalgia will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.