NextFilm

The Theatre Stories (2022)

瓦舍江湖

Once upon a time, the country was thriving. The people living in peace and affluence hailed their wise young Emperor. However, the fact was that the Empress Dowager and the Premier were taking the wheel and the young Emperor, too young to take over the rule - in fact he was not interested in it at all - longed for nothing but the world on the other side of the palace walls. He dreamed he could run a theater of folk arts, acrobatics and dramas. One day, the young Emperor discovered a secret path leading out of the imperial cage. He sneaked into it and found he arrived at a long-closed theater where he met Bai Xiaoqing, a lady performer who had bought the property. Having fabricated his identity, the young Emperor started to run a teahouse in cooperation with some freak artists, together making the place a theater of comedy and absurdity…