Many of the customers became friends with Gao's father, and they often recounted anecdotes and legendary tales to him as a young child when they visited the family home.

All these tales have been etched in his mind for over half a century, yet it wasn't until three years ago during a trip to visit his father's tomb that Gao decided to pen the script.

Over the decades from late 19th-century until the mid-20th century, Dalian was contested by conflicting foreign powers. The collapsing Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was forced to lease the city to the Russian Empire in 1898. After Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Dalian was colonized by Japan between 1905 and 1945.

"I have a special affinity for Dalian. The city represents an important chapter in modern Chinese history," says Gao.