Edward Lam Dance Theatre: "Xue Baochai, This Person"

Edward Lam is perhaps the Hong Kong theatre director who has brought Cao Xueqin’s *Dream of the Red Chamber* to the stage more times than any other. His journey began in 1986 with *The Story of the Stone* (created during his time with Zuni Icosahedron), followed by *Jia Baoyu* (2011), *Dream of the Red Chamber: What Is Sex* (2014), and *Hello, Baoyu* (2021). Now, in 2026—forty years after *The Story of the Stone*—he embarks on his fifth theatrical exploration of the classic: *Xue Baochai: The Person*. Why *Xue Baochai: The Person*? Edward Lam offers three reasons: First, *Dream of the Red Chamber* begins with the goddess Nüwa mending the heavens. One of the 36,501 stones she used transforms into a piece of jade, accompanying the Divine Luminary—reincarnated as Jia Baoyu—into the mortal realm. In this context, Xue Baochai’s relationship with Baoyu mirrors that of Nüwa: she, too, is engaged in an act of "mending." Second, where there is "mending," there are inevitably "holes" and "fissures." The interpersonal relationships in *Dream of the Red Chamber* are intricately complex; Xue Baochai’s presence serves both to resolve problems and to embody them. Third, wherever there are people, there is conflict. As a guest in the Prospect Garden (*Daguanyuan*), Xue Baochai finds herself drawn into a vortex of disputes and power struggles. Are the accounts of her words and deeds—the essence of "Xue Baochai the person"—grounded in absolute truth, or are they merely hearsay and conjecture? Who wouldn’t want to be seen by others as a near-perfect figure, much like Xue Baochai? Yet, who would want to spend their entire life—like her—living amidst the judgments and misunderstandings of those around them? *Xue Baochai: The Person* examines the "life" of Xue Baochai through the lens of modern-day perspectives and contexts. The role of "Xue Baochai" is portrayed by a group of "actors" within the play—a cast featuring Angelica Lee (Li Xinjie), Lu Jiaxin, Shi Yixiu, Zhao Yilan, Wang Hongyuan, Huang Renjie, Huang Junjie, Luo Xiyan, and Zhu Jiale, with live piano accompaniment by A-Chao. The "life story" in *Xue Baochai, the Person* is woven together by nine songs—composed by Chen Chien-chi with lyrics by Edward Lam—namely: "Flawless," "A Lifelong Regret," "Don't Call Me 'Sister'," "Too Many Boys," "Rarely Am I This Sentimental," "Frozen," "Chapter Forty-Five," "His Favorite," and "Xue Baochai, the Person."