Based on Bai Xianyong's novel Goddess in Exile, The Last Aristocrats is a 1989 film by Xie Jin, who is regarded as one of China's greatest directors. Throughout his career, which spanned over half a century, Xie helmed numerous beloved masterpieces, including epics like Hibiscus Town (1986) and The Opium War (1997). This year marks the 90th anniversary of his birth.

A stage photo of The Last Aristocrats Photo: Courtesy of Ge Hongwei

The Last Aristocrats has a special place in Xie's oeuvre not only because it was the first picture he shot overseas but also because it was said to be the only commercial film he made. But except for the cast of good-looking actors who were superstars at the time, the movie doesn't appear commercial at all; it's more like a Wong Kar-wai flick, telling the story of impossible love with a tone of elegant melancholy.

Li Tong, the beautiful only daughter of a KMT diplomat, falls in love with Harvard graduate Chen Yin at her 20th birthday party, held just before she leaves to study in the US with her three best friends. Their sudden and secret love is never confirmed by words but conveyed solely through eye contact and a tacit silence.

While Li dreams of being a diplomat and one day working at the UN, she is devastated by the news of her parents' deaths in a shipwreck and she quits school.

Years later she shows up uninvited to the wedding of Chen Yin, who is marrying her best friend. Chen soon finds out she is now the mistress of a foreign man. Li disappears and reappears, again and again, through the years. Little is known about her, except that her trail of former boyfriends could now form their own UN. At the end, she commits suicide in Venice, the city of water where she was born.

A stage adaptation of the story produced by the recently founded Haishang Drama Factory begins a weeklong run tonight at the People's Grand Theater (663 Jiujiang Road, 6132-6586). "I want to do serious drama," explained Ge Hongwei, the founder and general manager of the group.

"The total box office for stage plays in Shanghai ranks top in China. And Shanghai groups are good at producing comedies. But in terms of serious, thought-provoking, influential works, we cannot rival our Beijing peers," Ge said. Once an assistant of Xie Jin, Ge decided to start his ambitious plans with adaptations of Xie's films. "First is The Last Aristocrats. Next year, there will be Hibiscus Town. I want to produce just one or two plays a year but I hope they will be considered classics," Ge said. The process of adaptation is painstakingly complicated. Any change to the plot may be criticized and transplanting grand scenes like Venice on stage poses considerable technical difficulties. Moreover, few stars are willing to challenge themselves with work like this.

"For big stars, doing drama doesn't really make money. But money is not even the problem. Many wanted to participate as a way to pay tribute to Xie Jin but in the end they didn't fit the roles, which are very difficult to play," Ge said. "So I reconsidered my thinking. Quality is not just about stars."

"What I really want is to gather new talents. We can really do things together," he added, excitedly.