A theatrical homecoming

Director Stan Lai transforms his ancestral place into a hub of activity, Tu Jiayi reports in Huichang, Jiangxi.

The once obscure Huichang county in East China's Jiangxi province has gradually become a well-known theater hub in China in recent years. At its helm is Stan Lai, or Lai Shengchuan, an established theater director, known for works like Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land and A Dream Like a Dream. But in Huichang, he is not just a cultural icon, but also a returning son, channeling personal memory and artistic vision into a county's aesthetic revival.

Thirty years after first setting foot in his ancestral hometown, Lai has made Huichang a central stage for a different kind of performance: history, identity, and the possibility of reimagining a place through theater. He started a project, Huichang Theatre Season, in January 2024.

In May this year, Huichang Theatre Season unfolded over 11 days from May 23 to June 2, drawing more than 200 guests from five countries and staging over 370 performances. Among them were the world premiere of Robert Wilson's Chinese-language adaptation of Hamletmachine, the debut of Lai's own Beckett in the Lai Family Mansion, and the China premiere — its only stop in the country — of Oresteia by Greek master Theodoros Terzopoulos. French troupes such as Gratte Ciel and Les Grandes Personnes, known for their spectacular appearances at international events like the Paris Olympics, also brought large-scale outdoor performances like RoZeO — Swinging in the Landscape and Nos Vieux Amants (Love Journey) to the streets and squares of Huichang.

Lai started out with a simple idea.