Dreaming back to Su Dongpo's exquisite life, a tribute to the prose poetry of Poet Su

The Sichuan Opera 'Dreaming Back to Dongpo' features the two-time Plum Blossom Award winner Chen Zhilin as the lead actor, who, with authentic Sichuan accent and melody, brings to life a vivid Su Dongpo. Su Shi lived a life that was open-minded and optimistic, content with his lot. As an official, he benefited the people wherever he served. His relationships with his elderly wife and parents were especially touching. On a rainy night in Changzhou, Su Shi reunites with his parents in a dream and begins to trace back his 'lifetime achievements'—realizing the Tao in Huangzhou, building bridges in Huizhou, transforming the people in Danzhou... In the first act, Su Shi is demoted to Huizhou. His arch-enemy Zhang Dun sends Cheng Zhicai as his immediate superior, plotting to use him as a pawn. Cheng Zhicai is actually a nephew of Su Shi's mother and also Su Shi's brother-in-law. Due to the abuse and death of his sister Baniang, the two families had been estranged and hostile for over forty years. Su Shi wins him over with his love for the people, dismantling the family's monument of severance. The two reconcile, exchange poems, and resolve the longstanding grudges between their families. In the second act, Su Shi is demoted to Huangzhou and faces a difficult life. Fortunately, his 'die-hard fan' Ma Mengde finds the prefect Xu Junyou, and Su Shi is granted fifty acres of wasteland to cultivate and become self-sufficient. With the help of his neighbors, Su Dongpo builds Xuetang and lives a passionate life. His wife Wang Runzhi, worried about the burden of his reputation and the possibility of him getting into trouble while drunk, decides to bring along her maid Chaoyun to cheer him up. So, a group of friends bring along Mianzhu honey wine for a trip to the Red Cliffs. Su Shi encourages his wife to write poetry to express herself. Wang Runzhi's impromptu Sichuan dialect performance, polished by Su Shi's poetic touch, turns into a profound masterpiece. In the third act, feeling her time is near, Wang Runzhi frantically buys back Su Shi's old works in the market, trying to make up for the regret of burning his poems in the past. Holding that heavy box of manuscripts is a testament to the unwillingness of the times and the well-intentioned hope of the wife. Recalling the deep affection of the past, she cannot help but feel sorrow. Together for twenty-five years, Wang Runzhi accompanied him through official posts in Hangzhou, Mizhou, Xuzhou, Huzhou, and Huangzhou, traveling thousands of miles across half the country, enduring many hardships. Although not as understanding as her cousin Wang Fu, she always shared the burdens and stood by him through thick and thin. Su Shi praised her as 'far superior to Liu Ling's wife, who merely cared for wine money,' loving without spoiling, resentful without indulgence. Wang Runzhi, gentle and virtuous, treated Wang Fu's son as her own and managed household affairs meticulously, shielding the family from outside turmoil. She also found ways to relieve Su Shi's boredom, giving him enough freedom, truly a virtuous wife. From the pride of 'a son may be blamed like Zong Yu, but a wife's virtue surpasses that of Jing Tong,' one can see the importance Su Shi placed on his wife's support and trust, which had already elevated to a maternal affection. Ten years later, Su Shi passed away, fulfilling the promise of being buried together. The deceased parents pity Dongpo's ups and downs in his official career; he regrets not being calm enough during the Wutai poetry case, yet he remains an upright and loyal official. In the fourth act, tensions between the two factions rise and fall, wearing down Su Shi's ego. Zhang Dun, who had been the sole chancellor for seven years, was demoted to Lingnan, and his son Zhang Yuan seeks Su Shi's help upon returning to court. Dongpo, bearing no grudges, comforts him with 'What's past is past, what matters is what has not yet happened.' He sends medicinal recipes, shares oyster recipes, and advises him to live well, for 'everything has its own interest,' and one can make a name out of anything. The two have been friends for forty years, both out of step with the times, 'lone heroes' with proud and lofty talents. They cherished each other in their youth but grew apart due to differing political views, loving and fighting for half a lifetime, and now they laugh off their past grievances. The frontier is in crisis, and the old soldiers, with their 'every man has a responsibility' patriotic hearts, are resolute. Dongpo's childlike heart remains unchanged, his ordinary blood boiling with passion. Dreaming back to the path of seeking fragrance, where the snow and mud bear the traces of swans.