Synopsis of Madame Zhang's Dream

By Joe Chang

At the end of the Han Dynasty in ancient China, there was fierce fighting among

the warlords.

A man called Wang Hui was drafted into the army right in the middle of his

honeymoon with his newly wed wife Madame Zhang. He died in the battlefield

leaving her at home dreaming every day of his return. The original Beijing

Opera excerpt depicts her yearning and dream.

The play was written by Mr. Cheng Yanqiu, one of the four most famous

Beijing Opera singers, in 1931 in the then war-torn China. Because of Mr.

 Cheng’s creativity and outstanding performance, the play became a

masterpiece in the Cheng-style repertoire, and a classic in Beijing Opera

musicals.It is a tremendous challenge for an artist to re-render a classic

Beijing Opera play with animation. The five-minute short animated film

starts with Madame Zhang’s dream and ends with her awakening. It details

her sad emotions through a narration of reality intertwined with her dream.

Madame Zhang’s Dream integrates 2D, 3D, stop-motion animation

techniques and still photography to illustrate the charming Chinese opera

aesthetics as well as Beijing Opera’s unique aria.

The fusion of the animation art form and Beijing Opera opens the door for

new possibilities in animation art. Madame Zhang’s Dream uses this new

artistic combination to bring forth its anti-war, peace-loving theme and

my personal reflection of humanity.

The film is intended for the general audience.