This September at Beijing Postcards Movie Night we will watch Farewell To My Concubine《霸王别姬》by Chen Kaige. The movie is based on Lilian Lee’s book of the same name, and is inspired by the life of China’s first Beijing Opera superstar, Mei Lanfang. The movie takes us from the late Qing period through the founding of the Republic, the subsequent Japanese occupation and ending with the communists’ victory in the civil war. In 1993, Farewell To My Concubine won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but was censored only weeks after its release in China. Certain elements of the movie such as suicide, the Cultural Revolution and not least homosexuality were considered sensitive. Later, a redacted version was released, but the original version is still considered one of the best Chinese movies ever made. We have chosen to show Farewell To My Concubine in September to link with our upcoming project Drama Kings which will focus on the history of Beijing opera and its roots in Baishun hutong.

We will as always start with a short 20 min introduction to the historical background of the movie and our signature cocktail.

You can sign up here, or check out more upcoming events at Beijing Postcards website.