The LEI Family

2018-09-18

Venue: Theatre

Dates: September 29-October 06, 2018

About

In charge of of royal construction works of the Qing Dynasty, the LEI family has made a great many glorious and brilliant achievements over 260 years. Its members, skilled craftsmen of super talent across seven generations, made Beijing a metropolis with hard work and wisdom. The family was respected and renown for the design and building of the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and other palaces, gardens, temples and mansions concerned.

By starting with the man-building relationship, The LEI Family unfolds the strong charm and flavour of Beijing, telling how LEI Siqi and his son LEI Yanchang see the nation go to the dogs together with the hills and gardens, and therefore show concern for it in the ruins in the late Qing Dynasty. In this way, the regime, spirit and moral integrity unique to Beijing, a historic city, is presented on the stage.

For the drama, NCPA has invited a first-class production team, including dramaturge HUANG Weiruo, director CAO Qijing and set designer GAO Guangjian. Performers of NCPA Drama Ensemble, including young artists ZHAO Ling, DONG Wenliang and WANG Wenjie, will star in the drama. The performer YANG Qi, who played “Empress Dowager Cixi” in the drama, will once again give a fascinating performance together with special guest actor WANG Jishi, a Chinese first-class performer ZHANG Shuo. They will tell a pure Chinese story in a pure Chinese artistic form.

Synopsis

In the twelfth year of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi orders the restoration of the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden, which has been burnt down by the British-French allied troops. The task of creating an engineering design and carrying out the reconstruction falls on LEI Siqi and LEI Tingchang, who are in charge of the royal architectural designing studio. The LEI family has been inherited for seven generations since the first one was promoted to general designer of imperial ritual architecture during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. LEI Siqi and his son threw themselves actively into the reconstruction with the aim of renovating the grand architectural work as their fathers had wished to once more bring honour to the family. However, the country has been disintegrated and the people has been impoverished at that time. But to carry out reconstruction, the Qing government levies excessive taxes on the people. LEI Tingchang, who is young in those days, sees with his own eyes the people deprived of their means of survival and his girlfriend, whose father has been arrested, be driven desperate and couldn’t but sell herself to save her father.

At the same time, corrupt officials from the imperial household department and the swindler LI Guangzhao colludes with one another in an attempt to embezzle the money LEI Tingchang would use to buy lumber. Not until then does LEI Tingchang realize that reconstruction would be nothing else than a disaster for the country and people, so he risks his life to tell Empress Dowager Cixi the truth. After thinking twice about reconstruction and the sharp internal political conflict, Empress Dowager Cixi cancels the project. And actually, LEI Tingchang no longer wants to rebuild the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden. At first LEI Siqi strongly disagrees with his son, but later he is forced to agree, and feels very sad. He then takes his son and daughter-in-law to the ruins of the Yuanmingyuan Imperial Garden to offer sacrifices to his ancestors. There, he vents his grievances, and expresses the wish to rebuild the hills and gardens one day when the country will be strong and full of peace.

Creative

HUANG Weiruo

Playwright

CAO Qijing

Director

GAO Guangjian

Set Designer

HU Yaohui

Lighting Designer

MO Xiaomin

Costume Designer

QI Na

Make-up Designer

FENG Jiangzhou

Multimedia Designer

ZHANG Lin

Multimedia Designer

CAI Dongzhen

Composer

eBeijing