Marking a new Sunrise

Sunrise was published 85 years ago by Cao Yu (1910-96), and has remained one of the most popular theater creations in modern China's literary scene through the past decades.

The play presents a panoramic picture of people from all walks of life, their struggles, confusions and failures in urban China in the 1930s. Chen Bailu, a courtesan and kept woman, is the central figure in the story.

Jin, 53, is no stranger to theater productions. She directed a Chinese production of The Sound of Music in 1997, and performed the leading role in Duan Wan, or The Broken Arm in English, by renowned theater director Tian Qinxin, before taking on Sylvia (A Dog), which was produced by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center.

In the past few years, the versatile artist has enjoyed great popularity on Chinese television as a guest and judge on reality shows, hosting her own show and holding successful livestreaming promotions.

"The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a quiet period and I've been thinking about my real passion, which is theater. Now is the right time I go back to the theater stage," she says.

"The stage is my main base. Even talking about it ignites sparks in my eyes."

Jin says she wanted to create a production for the play Sunrise a few years ago, as she believed the story and characters would resonate with contemporary Chinese society.

"You are not unfamiliar with people like Chen Bailu and her school-age boyfriend Fang Dasheng, who are lost in the decadent material life but yet still dream of other pursuits," she says.