The show Six Chapters depicts a married couple whose loving relationship stands out from the patriarchal norms of the time. Although Kim Hunter Gordon, executive producer and translator of the play, believes it's more complex than that.
"As a character, Shen Fu has this boyish recklessness about him. Perhaps the most interesting difference between him and other male characters on the traditional Chinese stage is that this is his own first-person narrative," he says.
The couple were comfortable and elegant, living the "Suzhou lifestyle" that finds contentment in nature and everyday life.
The drama is divided into five parts: "Spring Festival", "Summer Light", "Autumn", "Winter Snow" and "Spring Again". Simple pictures of life in Suzhou are interwoven with Shen and Chen's affectionate relationship. Show producer and founder of the Yu Theatre Company, Xiao Yan, hopes that everyone can experience the beauty of Suzhou gardens and Suzhou opera through this play, and feel the exquisite elegance and charm of Suzhou-style life.
