Dream of the Red Chamber

Orphaned Lin Daiyu (Wang Wenjuan) falls in love with her cousin Jia Baoyu (Xu Yulan) after she moves to the Jia family home, but everyone in the household wishes to match Baoyu with Xue Baochai (Lü Ruiying), a young woman of distinguished birth. Baoyu has always scorned worldly rank, but after a series of misunderstandings, Daiyu leaves with a broken heart, believing that he has turned her away. In one of the tale’s most celebrated scenes, a devastated Daiyu buries fallen blossoms in the garden, singing a plaintive song. Baoyu rushes to her side as the two finally confess their feelings, but the lovers are torn apart yet again when Baoyu mistakenly believes that Daiyu is leaving and falls gravely ill. His mother (Zhou Baokui) secretly arranges for him to marry Baochai, the news of which crushes Daiyu and she passes away shortly after. Her death and the discovery that his bride is in fact Baochai prove to be the final straw for Baoyu, who eventually leaves the Jia household in rejection of its feudal values.

Renowned for its delicate elegance and subtle, poetic lyricism, Yue opera is celebrated for its graceful singing and refined costumes. In 1958, Yue librettist Xu Jin adapted the literary classic Dream of the Red Chamber into a Yue opera, which was met with overwhelming acclaim upon its Shanghai premiere. The next year, it was selected to perform at the National Day celebrations for the People’s Republic of China’s tenth anniversary. The two leads of the film, Wang Wenjuan and Xu Yulan, each had over 20 years of experience before they starred in the production; the behind-the-scenes crew likewise boasted a wealth of experience and talent. Helmed by the original stage production director Zhong Min, with artistic supervision by Wu Chen, the film features performances and accompaniment by the Second Troupe of the Shanghai Yue Opera Group. It is a remarkable translation of the essence of Yue opera to the big screen and a timeless classic of Chinese opera film.

Date	Time	Venue
16/8/2026 (Sun) #	2:45pm	Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

# Post-screening talk with Edward Lam

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