The Grand garden

Discover the full story of THE GRAND GARDEN, based on Chinese Classical Novel "Dream of the Red Mansion"

Synopsis

Prologue

On a cloud-wrapped mountain resides a gigantic stone. Over the years, the stone, having absorbed the essence of the sun and the moon, has become a living being.

Beside the stone stands a beautiful Crimson Pearl Flower. By day and night, the stone devotedly cares for the plant, watering it in order for it to grow, whilst providing shade against the sun.

The Crimson Pearl Flower is deeply moved and makes a vow, if there is an after-life, it will repay the stone with all the tears of her life.

One day, a prophet comes to the mountain and encounters the stone. He realises that the stone has not yet finished with its worldly destiny. The prophet uses a magic spell to break the stone apart, he then takes a small pebble of this stone and leaves.

Act I

Scene I The Manor

A few birds come flying from afar and come across the secret garden.

It is at this time that the prophet also arrives. He throws a piece of the stone over the wall.

The gate opens, revealing a manor. A squire named JIA ZHENG, an individual who is prosperous and with high esteem, lives with his family here.

The butler is carrying out his duties with the servants and maids of JIA Manor. There is a clear rank difference between all the servants. For example, even within the maids themselves the older ones often enjoy a higher status and granted more respect than the newcomers.

The bodyguards, whilst practising kung fu in order to better protect their master, move towards the peach garden to serve MRS JIA, the wife of JIA ZHENG.

As MRS JIA enjoys the tea provided by her servants, a peach suddenly drops in front of her from a tree above due to it being hit with the small stone thrown by the prophet.

The servants are startled at first as they believe it to be a weapon from their enemies. They soon realise that it is only a harmless peach.

The butler wants to discard the fruit but MRS JIA stops him. Instead she dances on the ground like a snake as she looks upon the peach and admires its beauty.

Eventually, she picks up and eats the peach.

Scene II The Birth of Bao Yu

MRS JIA has become pregnant and gives birth to a boy. Unexpectedly, the boy holds a pebble in his mouth as he comes into the world.

All the relatives come forth to proclaim their congratulations.

MR JIA’s mother, GRANDMA JIA is especially excited and happy. Everybody believes this is truly a wonder.

JIA ZHENG names his son JIA BAO YU, which means jade and jewel. He uses the pebble to craft a necklace for him to wear.

Scene III The Dream

JIA BAO YU has grown up. He is always fond of girls and enjoys being around them. One day, he is playing with two maids in the garden when drowsiness suddenly overcomes him.

The maids try to persuade him to go back to his room and rest, but he is not willing and angrily refuses. He soon falls asleep on the ground.

QIN KE QING (A relative of BAO YU) whilst admiring the flowers, comes across BAO YU lying on the ground and asks the maids what has happened.

She then suggests that they should take him to her home which is nearby.

The maids take BAO YU to QIN KE QING’s home, and lays him down in a bed.

QIN KE QING retreats to her own bedroom to rest.

The room is full of exotic fragrances, and BAO YU is soon sound asleep. He rises into a dream, whereupon he sees a fairy, who is naked and has the appearance of QIN KE QING

The fairy teaches BAO YU how to make love.

Scene IV LIN DAI YU

LIN DAI YU has just been orphaned as she has lost both her parents. She has nowhere to go but the JIA family, her only living relatives.

LIN DAI YU is greeted by GRANDMA JIA, she dearly loves DAI YU. She praises her beauty and promises to support and care for her.

JIA BAO YU comes, they see each other and feel like old acquaintances. Shreds of memories flash before their minds, memories of their past lives as the stone and Crimson Pearl Flower.

They fall in love with each other at first sight.

Scene V The Love Story

LIN DAI YU reads a love story called “Romance of the West Chamber”, which is a forbidden book.

JIA BAO YU approaches from behind and takes a peak at what DAI YU is reading. He snatches the book from her and jokingly tells her that he is going to report it to GRANDMA JIA.

DAI YU rushes to grab it back, but BAO YU then confesses his love to her, DAI YU reciprocates. They make a promise to be together forever. They then write a poem together as a symbol of their love.

Scene VI XUE BAO CHAI

There arrives yet another girl in the manor: XUE BAO CHAI. She glances upon a large butterfly in the garden. She rushes towards it with her fluttering fan.

She attempts all sorts of ways to catch the butterfly, but does not succeed. The butterfly is like the man of her dreams.

BAO YU and DAI YU happen to come through the garden.

BAO CHAI stumbles and almost falls down. BAO YU hurries to support her. They then look at each other and BAO YU admires her beauty. He glimpses at her golden necklace and tells her that it is a perfect match for his jade necklace.

Being neglected, DAI YU feels jealous and upset therefore begins to leave.

BAO YU chases her in an attempt to persuade her to come back.

From now on, these three young people become involved in an intricate love affair. BAO YU loves DAI YU - his soulmate, but is also attracted to BAO CHAI, a girl of worldly beauty.

Scene VII Build the Grand Garden

The manor has experienced extensive building work and everything has become new. JIA ZHENG walks around the splendid houses with his son BAO YU. He asks him to write a poem so as to give a name to the new set of buildings.

BAO YU begins writing. He gives charming and poetic names to every house that is newly built. JIA ZHENG is very pleased with his son’s talents.

Consequently, the manor is named “The Grand Garden”.

JIA ZHENG orders the servants to make a new plaque.

Soon afterwards, a magnificent plaque with “The Grand Garden” engraved upon it, hangs outside the manor.

ACT II

Scene VIII Granny Liu visits Grand Garden

GRANNY LIU from the countryside comes to visit the Grand Garden with her young grandson and carries some local delicacies with her. She previously worked at the manor many years ago.

A group of kids see LIU and her grandson, the kids laugh at them, taunting and bullying them whilst trying to take the food from their basket.

At this moment, a maid passes by with a lantern. LIU explains who she is and the maid agrees to bring them to meet WONG XI FENG.

LIU loses sight of the maid as another maid with a lantern appears from the other side, followed by many more maids. They all surround LIU.

LIU, after encountering such an extravagant sight, suddenly faints...

A maid wakes LIU up, and they see WONG XI FENG seated before them. LIU cannot hold back her tears as she witnesses such an elegant lady.

LIU hands over the local delicacies she has brought. WONG tells the maid to give some money to LIU. The maid delivers the money to LIU’s hands then forces her out of the gate.

Scene IX The Decision of the Jia Family

JIA ZHENG hears about his son not studying properly, instead preferring to spend his time in the company of girls. He bids his servants to bring BAO YU to him in order to interrogate him.

JIA ZHENG explains to BAO YU the best way for him to secure a good future, but BAO YU refuses to listen to his father's advice.

Suddenly a piece of paper falls out from within BAO YU's robe, it is the love poem that BAO YU and DAI YU wrote together. BAO YU rushes to retrieve it but is too late as JIA ZHENG stamps his foot on it and picks it up. JIA ZHENG is furious about the contents of the poem. He angrily kicks BAO YU and orders his servants to beat him up.

WONG XI FENG summons all the masters of the manor to discuss the situation. They come to an important decision.

Scene X Dai Yu buries flowers

DAI YU walks towards the garden in order to sweep and bury the flower petals that have withered and fallen from the trees.

The winds of autumn are becoming ever colder. She reminisces about the love affair between BAO YU and herself. She becomes to feel so miserable and helpless and begins to cry in the garden.

Scene XI The Wedding

There is a happy event occurring within the Grand Garden - BAO YU's wedding.

Members of the crowd hold lanterns and play musical instruments.

BAO YU is wearing a red robe and expresses gratitude to his family one by one.

At another side of the manor, DAI YU buries some flowers. She holds the red petals as they slowly leak from her hands as if to express how her heart is bleeding.

The bride is also wearing a red dress with a red veil covering her face. She comes before BAO YU.

DAI YU takes out the poem and tears it to pieces in the air along with the petals.

DAI YU suddenly can not stop coughing up blood.

A GHOST approaches her, and strangles her neck with a black vine. The GHOST pulls on the vine and leads DAI YU towards BAO YU.

Meanwhile:

BAO YU lifts the veil from the bride's face.

The GHOST takes DAI YU away.

BAO YU is stunned! The bride is not DAI YU whom he expected her to be, the bride is BAO CHAI.

DAI YU dies.

BAO YU runs away.

BAO CHAI faints and falls to the ground.

Scene XII The Garden Lost

The masters of the Grand Garden did not expect this result. BAO YU has run away and DAI YU has died.

They are saddened with despair, JIA ZHENG's heart breaks and tears fall from her eyes.

BAO CHAI sees the butterfly again and decides to chase him.

The servants are carrying candles. The flickering lights cause the Grand Garden to become blurry.

The candles burn out one by one. The Grand Garden disappears.

The birds come by again. They see that the Grand Garden has disappeared, only wind and snow remain. The birds continue to fly ever farther, vainly hoping to find this secret garden again.

The prophet leads BAO YU into the featureless wasteland.

Where all is white and nothing else remains.

About Us

“The Grand Garden” is a production of TG Performing Arts Company, a group formed by both Chinese and British artists.

The team is the first of its kind aiming to develop into a professional ballet theatre. It is currently working with artists, technicians and various other professions.

Since 2007, TG has been producing a number of theatrical performances including plays and musicals. We have performed some ballet theatre and pantomimes along with professional ballerinas.

For each production we organise a dedicated production team. For this year’s performance “The Grand Garden”, the team is consisted of the following:

The Committee

JIAXIN LLOYD WEBBER: Producer & Artistic Director

Jiaxin is a well-known cellist, she graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Since 2007, Jiaxin has lived in London where she has given several recitals. Her performance in April 2008 at Her Majesty’s Theatre with both Andrew and Julian Lloyd Webber was described as “the emotional highlight of the evening”.

She appeared as a soloist at the Royal Festival Hall in April 2011 and with Julian Lloyd Webber for BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, CNN Global TV and BBC Television. They have recorded for Universal Classics and Naxos and they are making further recordings in 2013 as well as touring together with the European Union Chamber Orchestra and English Chamber Orchestra.

Jiaxin Cheng married Julian Lloyd Webber, Julian is a world renowned cellist, the Principal of the Birmingham Conservatoire, extraordinary musicians and music educators.

Their album “A Tale of Two Cellos” is a critically acclaimed album of cello duets, using music as a medium to give messages about harmony and love between the eastern and western cultures.

GUOHUA LEE: Artistic Director

A keen promoter of cultural and artistic events, Guo Hua has on multiple occasions organised and run concerts as the first collaboration concert of the Chinese Conservatory of Music, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Fine Art Exhibitions.

GENQIN YAN Producer & Chief Executive Director

Genqin is an enthusiastic events organiser, and she is the head of the UK-Shanghai Association.

Creation Team

TERRIE TAI: Scenarist & Director

Terrie is a columnist, Scenarist and Director. She was an opera chorister and since 2006 has written music columns for Chinese newspapers and written some novels and all serialised on newspapers and well received.

In 2007, Terrie performed her first play, which was adapted from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, drawing materials from Shakespeare. Recently, she along with her team began to produce ballet theatres and pantomimes.

GLORIA CHEUNG Musical Director

Violinist

ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

TING WANG Executive Manager

TECHNICAL TEAM

SUKI CHEUNG Technical Manager

HELEN QI Stage Manager

SUR HAN CHANG Deputy Stage Manager

JING WANG Costume

LIN LU Props

YAN XIANG Photographer

PEI YU ZHU Photographer