Huayi 2025: The Heart of Jun: Memoirs of Zhaojun at Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay

A tale of 20th-century voyagers seeking their destinies, set against the elegant beauty of traditional Nanyin music. Co-produced with Siong Leng Musical Association, The Heart of Jun: Memoirs of Zhaojun presents a musical experience of discovery, courage and determination. 

Three women leave China and set sail for Southeast Asia in the early 20th century, their voyage echoing the journey of Wang Zhaojun, one of the legendary Four Beauties of ancient China. Finding themselves on a cargo ship, they are inescapably embroiled in sinister struggles for power as a mysterious man reveals secrets they have yet to understand. What will their destinies hold? What connection exists between these three women braving a tumultuous sea and Wang Zhaojun, who rode beyond the borders of Western Han into the Xiongnu empire? Do the fragments of loss and sorrow in Nanyin music symbolise the life stories of these modern women, or do they inspire courage to explore new horizons? 

This fusion of traditional Nanyin music and contemporary theatre will delight both Nanyin purists and new audiences. Siong Leng breaks new ground in this collaboration with celebrated Taiwanese playwright Katherine Hui-ling Chou and Taiwanese director Lee Yi Hsiu, who is known for his innovative direction of traditional music performances. 

The Heart of Jun: Memoirs of Zhaojun features authentic traditional Nanyin music harking back half a millennium that narrates the legend of Wang Zhaojun, with additional music composed by Siong Leng's music director Ng Kang Kee. The production showcases the principal artists of Siong Leng, and a skilled ensemble of Eastern and Western classical musicians performing together with Singapore actors Ang Xiao Ting, Jodi Chan and Hang Qian Chou.