Themes

Pining... In Peach Blossom Land weaves together two plays-within-the-play. On the surface, the plays are opposites. One is a comedy; the other is a tragedy. One depicts an ancient legend; the other a realistic, modern situation. Yet, as we watch teh two stories play out side by side, we see that they are more similar than we might expect.

The tragic play, titled Pining, is set in Shanghai, China in the 1940s and Taiwan in the 1980s. It depicts a Chinese couple who are seperated when they flee to Taiwan during the Communist Revolution.

The comic play, titled Peach Blossom Land, is set in Ancient China. It depicts a famous story that was first told in a fourth century poem of the same name. .