Back on stage: A well-loved play

With many audience members moved by the story and wanting to learn more about the characters' life trajectories, Lai wrote River/Cloud, a spinoff of the poignant love story, which premiered in Taipei in 2021. From October, a modified edition of the production is due to tour major cities in the Chinese mainland.

The story unfolds as the lovers send each other letters, most of which were lost in transit.

Chang Chen, a famed film actor from Taiwan, plays Jiang. He joined Ding Nai-chu, theater producer and CEO of Theatre Above, during a news conference at the theater in Shanghai on July 20.

During the talk, he said Jiang is a character he is keen to portray, as the protagonist in the play comes from Changchun, Jilin province, which is also the hometown of Chang's grandfather.

"My grandfather passed away some years ago and I wasn't that familiar with him either, due to the age gap. But he often appeared in my dreams," Chang says. "I think it is a good kind of twist of fate that I could play a character from his generation."