For example, there are references of popular TV shows such as "Super Girls" and "My Hero," and traffic jam on the ring roads of Beijing.

Xie Na (left) and He Jiong (right), who are well-known stars in popular TV shows, impress audiences with their wonderful improvisations in the play "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land."

These lines were created by the actors and actresses, as part of the "collective improvisation" that Lai adopts in his theatrical work. In fact, the play was born in the improvisational rehearsals of the Performance Workshop led by Lai in 1986.

That's the reason why Lai chose He Jiong and Xie Na, who are well-known anchors in popular TV shows, to play fishmonger Yuan and Chunhua in the "In Peach Blossom Land" part.

"The anchoring experiences of He and Xie enable them to control the rhythm of a comedy, so I don't have to explain much to them," said Lai. "The changes in this version were results of our actors' improvisations."

He Jiong said when they tour other cities with "Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land," they will change some lines according to the local situations.

The first performance in Beijing on Saturday were sold out one week in advance, and 70 per cent of the tickets of the first round of nine performances (November 18-26) in Beijing were sold out before the first performance, according to Yuan Hong, the play's producer.

Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land
Date/Time: 7:15pm, December 8 to December 13
Location: Shanghai Grand Theatre, No.300 Renmin Dadao
Ticket: RMB 680-100
Tel: 021-62172426/62173055