A tasteful production

Scriptwriting veterans team up to create a star-studded play about a 120-year-old Beijing restaurant, promising that it will be a future classic, Chen Nan reports.

For Chinese scriptwriter Zhang Heping, who has written scripts for TV dramas and movies and currently serves as the president of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles, one of the highlights of his decadeslong career was being the president of the Beijing People's Art Theatre from 2007 to 2014.

The top theater is known for its long list of classic plays, such as Teahouse, Beneath the Red Banner and The Top Restaurant, which enjoy huge popularity throughout the country.

"Creating more classic plays was always a top priority when I worked with the Beijing People's Art Theatre and, even after my resignation, it is still my wish," says Zhang, 77.

Now, Zhang is working with his longtime friend, scriptwriter Liu Heng, and veteran director Lang Kun, on a new original Chinese play, titled From West to East, which is about the rise and fall, and rise again, of the century-old Beijing Muslim hot pot restaurant Dong Lai Shun.