Production History

Stan Lai first wrote Pining... In Peach Blossom Land in Chinese in 1986, and the show became an immediate success within Taiwan.   Since its initial success, it has been performed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times in China (nearly all of those performances were done without the permission of the playwright).   The play has had several revisions and translations, which have also changed the name of the show (in English, the show is variously called Pining... In Peach Blossom Land, Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, and Peach Blossom Land.) See a sampling of some critiques of these productions.

In 1992, Lai directed a film version of his work called Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land, which starred Brigitte Lin, one of China's most famous film actresses. In 2006, a production was staged in Beijing that starred a number of famous Chinese actors. Although the play had been performed in mainland China hundreds of times prior to 2006, this was the first production authorized by the playwright.

In the United States, the play has only been produced once before.   In 2006, Lai was a resident playwright at Stanford University.   At this time he translated his play for an American audience and directed the first English-language production of this modern Chinese classic.