Suzhou Symphony Orchestra revisits 'Dream of the Red Chamber' in new production

"We wanted to find the truest emotion inside this enormous novel," says playwright Xu Lijia. "Rather than tell every story, we focused on what audiences continue to carry with them."

The work traces the lovers' first meeting, Lin Daiyu's famous burial of fallen blossoms and the family's eventual collapse. Sixteen songs composed by Wang Liping for the 1987 television adaptation are woven into a newly orchestrated score, transforming familiar melodies into a continuous dramatic arc.

The production also returns Dream of the Red Chamber to a city deeply associated with its world. Lin Daiyu's ancestral home is traditionally linked to Suzhou, whose classical gardens helped define the refined Jiangnan culture that permeates the classic novel. The 1987 television series also filmed extensively in and around the city.

"For everyone who loves Daiyu, bringing this production to Suzhou feels meaningful," Ouyang says.

"The story has come home."