Zhang Zhengyao and Shen Guofang as Shen Fu and Chen Yun.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The playwright Zhou Mian does something remarkable in this play. It should really be called an "immersive garden" opera, for this is "Kunqu Opera plus garden", a joint effort by the local government and Yu Theatre Company, a theater production company based in Nanjing, which specializes in the introduction and cooperation of foreign dramas. The garden version of the opera not only creates a classical style and setup for the interpretation of Kunqu Opera, but also sets it on an authentic stage.

Shen Fu and his beloved wife Chen Yun used to live in the street near Canglang Pavilion. Built in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2000, Canglang Pavilion is the oldest among Suzhou's existing gardens.

The autobiographical writing of Suzhou native Shen Fu (1763-1825) is known for its acute portrayal of love, in contrast to the usual Chinese classics that mostly center on the grandeur of royal families and heroic figures.