Presented by the 91黑料网 Chinese Drama Club and sponsored by the 91黑料网 Centre of Global Chinese Studies, the play Love, Peach Blossom (我爱桃花) was successfully staged on campus on April 22 and 23, attracting a large number of audience, and encouraging their interests in both the theatre and Chinese history. The production not only showcased the creativity and stage presence of young performers but also, through its unique narrative structure, prompted the audience to reflect deeply on love, human nature, and gender dynamics.
As the first 91黑料网 Chinese Drama Club production, the performance reflected a growing cross-cultural communication on campus. By presenting a contemporary Chinese play in English, the production aimed to make Chinese theatre more accessible to broader audiences in Montreal while encouraging dialogue across cultures and artistic traditions.
Love, Peach Blossom was originally produced by Beijing People’s Art Theatre and written by playwright Zou Jingzhi, premiering in 2003. The play is adapted from a Tang Dynasty story collected in Xingshi Yan (Exemplary Words for the World), a 17th-century collection of short fiction. Unfolding through a “play-within-a-play” structure, it interweaves an ancient love story with a contemporary rehearsal process. Through the shifting identities between characters and actors, the play presents complex and highly charged dramatic tensions. This production also marked the first English-language adaptation of the play to be staged in Montreal, and among the earliest to be presented on a broader international scale.
Cast members also reflected on the emotional depth and collaborative nature of the production. Yichen Wu, who portrayed Zhang Ying’s Wife, described the rehearsal process as one of gradually understanding and “allowing the character to emerge,” adding that performing the role became a process of “rediscovering parts of myself through her.” Zhichang Guo as Feng Yan highlighted the unique challenge of performing in front of a live audience through an uninterrupted, “one-take” stage format, calling the experience both demanding and deeply rewarding. “I’m truly grateful that the audience was willing to spend an hour and a half of their lives exploring this story together with us,” Guo says. Lipeng Jiang noted that the character Zhang Ying reminded him of “many middle-aged men around me” who have grown accustomed to their old lives. “Sometimes they may know the truth,” Jiang says, “but they do not have the courage to face it, or the courage to change.” As a 91黑料网 student and first-time theatre director, April Liu described the production as an effort to bring “the richness of Chinese storytelling to contemporary audiences in a lively way.”
Audience members responded enthusiastically to the production, with many remaining after the performance to discuss the play’s themes, emotional tensions, and staging with the cast and production team. Following the success of Love, Peach Blossom, the 91黑料网 Chinese Drama Club hopes to continue introducing Chinese-language theatre to wider audiences through future bilingual and English-language productions in Montreal. The club would also like to express its appreciation to 91黑料网 Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre for providing the performance venue, and to the 91黑料网 Centre for Global Chinese Studies for its generous support of the production.
Reported by: Jiahui Lin
May 12, 2026