Through innovative adaptations of Chinese legends, performers connect timeless stories with contemporary audiences, Xu Fan reports.

The 2026 Macau Live International kicks off on June 17. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Most of them balance theater with full-time jobs. Among them are a high school music teacher and a company mailroom clerk. But on a summer afternoon in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Guangdong province, it was their shared passion for the stage — rather than their day jobs — that took center stage.

One by one, representatives from 12 Macao theater troupes stepped onto the stage of the Mahua FunAge Theater of Hengqin Cultural and Art Center as spotlights illuminated each of them in turn.

For Leer Cheng, chief financial officer and assistant president of Mahua FunAge, it was an emotional moment. Her eyes welled up as she watched the creators appear, feeling that their years of dedication to theater had finally been recognized.

The moment was part of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Macau Live International, which began on June 17.

Over the following six months, 12 performing arts troupes will present a diverse lineup of productions, ranging from traditional plays and musicals to choral concerts and clown performances.

Starvation reimagines a Chinese classic for contemporary audiences. [Photo provided to China Daily]

All productions are presented in Cantonese, with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area serving as the primary target market. Audience response has exceeded expectations. More than 700 people applied to attend the opening ceremony, despite the event originally being limited to just 50 attendees.

The extended schedule represents a major shift from last year's inaugural edition, which lasted just five days. Based on audience feedback, Cheng realized that packing so many performances into such a short period made it difficult for audiences to fully appreciate each production, as their attention was scattered.

"Building on the experience we gained last year, we extended the season to six months, hoping audiences would have more time to appreciate each production and gain a deeper understanding of its cultural richness and artistic value," Cheng says.

Rhapsody is one of the highlights of the performing arts season, which lasts six months and features a diverse lineup of productions, including traditional plays, musicals and clown performances. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Beyond attracting audiences, the season also serves a more ambitious goal: helping Macao's theater talent reach a wider audience by creating more opportunities to perform in cities like Beijing and Shanghai on the Chinese mainland, Cheng adds.

The season is not only providing Macao troupes with a larger stage, but also encouraging them to reinterpret Chinese cultural classics in ways that speak to modern audiences.

One example is Starvation, a 70-minute stage production adapted from Cai Wei (Gathering Wild Peas), one of the eight short stories in the collection Gushi Xinbian (Old Tales Retold) by Lu Xun (1881-1936).

Following its selection for the youth section at the 2024 Wuzhen Theatre Festival, the production, now presented in a Cantonese version for the first time, blends an ancient legend with modern perspectives.

The story traces its origins to Boyi and Shuqi, two princes who, according to legend, refused to serve the newly established Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) after the fall of the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC). Choosing to live on wild peas rather than accept Zhou grain, they eventually starved to death on Mount Shouyang, becoming enduring symbols of integrity and moral conviction in Chinese culture.

For co-directors Chen Yujun, who grew up in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and Sam Leong, who was born in Macao, the production is less about re-creating history than asking why the story still resonates today.

"Lu Xun reinterpreted this ancient legend through the concerns of his own time. More than 90 years later, our generation is asking a similar question: What does it really mean to hold on to one's principles? Every era has its own answer," Chen explains.

To bridge the distance between the ancient tale and contemporary audiences, the production introduces two modern young women who become stranded on the same mountain after encountering their own troubles. Their struggle for survival echoes that of Boyi and Shuqi, suggesting that while history changes, many human dilemmas remain remarkably similar.

"Whether it's pursuing ideals, taking responsibility or simply trying to become a better person, these questions transcend time. Society keeps moving forward, yet many of the challenges people face today are surprisingly similar to those confronted centuries ago," Leong says.

The Cantonese adaptation also gives the classic story new artistic vitality, Chen adds. "We hope it will encourage more young people to reconnect with Cantonese, which has a distinctive charm thanks to its rhythm and tones."

The same spirit of respecting local cultures can be found in another original production scheduled for this season, The New Peach Blossom Spring, which reimagines the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) poet Tao Yuanming's timeless vision of an ideal world through a contemporary lens.

For Cheng of Mahua FunAge, these productions reflect the broader ambition behind Macau Live International. She hopes the season will create more opportunities for cultural exchange between Macao and the Chinese mainland and help build Macao into a city known not only for tourism but also for performing arts.

"I bought two academic books to trace the origins of Macao's theater, back to the days when performers staged plays on the steps of the Ruins of St. Paul's," Cheng says, her voice thick with emotion, adding that she hopes to bring that rich theatrical legacy back into the spotlight and to audiences far beyond Macao.