A scene from "Exchanging a Leopard Cat for a Prince" [CRI]

"Exchanging a Leopard Cat for a Prince" is a story that comes from the Song Dynasty and known by almost every household in China. But the story's old suspense has taken on a new look through the successful adaptation by artists at the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre. Now, the award-winning piece is being staged in Beijing last weekend to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

It's one of the most successful adaptations of the Peking Opera piece. And the story is one of the most uncanny cases associated with China's royal palace. Two of Emperor Zhenzong's concubines were pregnant at the same time. The first son born was to become the prince. Concubine Liu exchanges a leopard cat for the baby of Concubine Li and orders her maid to throw the baby into the river.

Unlike the traditional way of telling the story, the new version delivers the plot through two small figures who've never been under the spotlight before: the eunuch, Chen Lin, and the maid, Kou Zhu. They are the true heroes who saved the life of the baby and protected him until they sacrifice their lives. The award-winning piece has been on the stage for 15 years since it was first adapted in 1994.

(CRI June 21, 2009)