Chinanews.com, Beijing, March 13 (Reporter Ying Ni) As one of the repertoires of the first "Looking at Beijing" exhibition season, the cross-strait theatrical play "Looking for Taste" will premiere at the National Theater of China from March 23 to 26.

　　The story happened in 1987, after 38 years of isolation, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait opened up family visits.

The 72-year-old Li Jinbiao was a veteran of the Peking Regiment of the 177th Division of the Kuomintang.

Veterans returned home to visit their relatives one after another, but Li Jinbiao, who grew up in Beijing's Hutongs in his youth, did not return for a long time.

Until the end of the summer of 1992, he suddenly arrived in Beijing with his son Li Guangqi, daughter-in-law Yang Shuping and eldest grandson Li Mingwei.

This is a special homecoming.

The ruthless years have left endless tears for the separated people on both sides of the strait, and the pain of open wounds has accompanied many people for a lifetime.

The affection between mother and child, brother and sister, and friends on both sides of the strait collided in history, but blood is thicker than water. In the end, love makes all misunderstandings and conflicts disappear, and the characters can return to their true nature.

　　The stage play "Looking for Taste" is planned by Chen Ping, chairman of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles, co-written by the well-known playwright Gong Yingtian and Li Zongxi, a well-known Taiwanese director. Served as a stage design consultant, bringing together a well-known creative team from both sides of the Taiwan Strait with sufficient stage and art experience.

At the same time, the play is also a 2022 funding project of the Beijing Culture and Art Fund.

　　The creation of "Looking for Taste" lasted nearly two years. It has been changed more than ten times, and it has been rehearsed and carefully polished for half a year.

At the media meeting on the 13th, when Gong Yingtian introduced the original intention of the play, he said: "'Reunion' is the warmest part of Chinese blood, and 'Harmony' is the most beautiful part of our traditional ethics. Opened a vertical aspect of history, spanning 70 years and four generations. My own grandfather came back from Taiwan to visit relatives in the late 1980s. My wife, brother and sister-in-law didn’t wait to see him for the last time. This is our family’s Pain point. The 35th anniversary of cross-strait exchanges, but we should not forget the heartbreaking days before. Remembering the past is to avoid repeating the same mistakes. We start a new period for a better life in the future. Let’s live together in a big family and enjoy the beautiful life together. Looking for taste, what kind of taste are you looking for? In a small bowl of noodles, what you look for is the taste of family affection, the taste of blood is thicker than water, the taste of Liutong Spring smell."

Director Li Zongxi (and) screenwriter Gong Yingtian (right) Photo by Wang Xiaoxi

　　Li Zongxi said: "This story is told from 1949 to 2019. It presents different emotional changes through the family, friendship, and love between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait during the seventy years. In terms of stage design, we use The double rotating stage is used to outline different scenes, and to express the joys and sorrows between people through scene changes. All actors have to act from young to old, which is also a very big challenge for the actors. At the same time, using mutual letters The interconnection and series connection of this story is also a particularly interesting part of this drama."

　　It is worth mentioning that the play also created an example of cooperation between actors on both sides of the strait.

"Looking for Taste" brings together outstanding actors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Chinese Taiwanese film and television actor Li Zhixi, well-known actor Zeng Li, winner of the Golden Lion Award for Chinese Drama Wang Yi, and deputy director of the Drama Troupe of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Tang Lihua, etc.

Li Zhixi comes from a Peking opera family, and his father Li Huanchun was born in Beijing.

He said that he is rooted in Beijing, "The role I play in this drama is very challenging. Most of it is an inner drama, which must be performed with 'heart'. The storyline of the characters in the drama reveals the heart of a wanderer and the love of mother. It touched me deeply. I think that a good script must first touch the actors themselves before convincing the audience. It is a good play. "Looking for Taste" is such a work."

　　The deep-rooted memories settled in my heart due to displacement, farewell, nostalgia, and longing, especially the memories of my hometown that I can’t forget, and a taste is a cup of rough tea, a pot of light rice, and a bowl of hot food with my parents in my three meals a day when I was a child. Soup.

This, perhaps, is "searching for taste".

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