Chinese cuisine sets the scene

On Dec 31, renowned playwright He Jiping visited Quanjude, a famous restaurant known for its traditional Peking duck nestled in the heart of Beijing's Hepingmen area. As she savored the meticulously carved bird, He shared the story behind one of her most celebrated plays, The Top Restaurant, which was inspired by the art of roasting duck. The visit not only brought her back to the origins of her inspiration but also allowed her to reflect on the deeper connections between food and life.

"I still recall the days I spent in this restaurant's kitchen, immersing myself in the preparation of the roast duck. I was the only woman and no one spoke to me in the beginning," recalls He, 74. "I observed the chefs, many of whom had shaved heads, as they expertly roasted ducks, sliced scallions, and prepared pancakes.

"I was fascinated by the precision and grace with which they moved and how their body language stayed in sync with the cooking rhythm, mirroring the beat of music."

To understand the craft more deeply, He enrolled in culinary classes to obtain a secondary chef's certificate.

This immersion into Beijing's food culture gave He a wealth of material for her script. After three years of research and rewrites, The Top Restaurant was born, depicting the rise and fall of a fictional restaurant called Fujude. The story revolves around the intense rivalry between two brothers and the ambitious Lu Mengshi, who attempts to revive their faltering family business when their father, the restaurant owner, retires due to bad health. The script reflects the artistry of Chinese cuisine while exploring the emotional and philosophical underpinnings of life and human relationships.

In 1988, The Top Restaurant premiered at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, an esteemed company with which He had collaborated as a playwright. The play quickly gained fame, becoming one of the theater's best-selling productions. Since then, it has been performed nearly 600 times, including tours to Japan, the United States and Europe, and was later adapted into a highly praised Chinese TV drama.

In 2022, the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre took on the iconic play, bringing with it the challenge of adapting it into Cantonese. This shift added another layer of complexity and charm to the stage play.