The One Who Boiled The Sea

Actor＋Mask ／80mins

Text／Director：Shiah Shiah

Premiere
24-27 Dec.2009 Fu-Xing Temple,Ching-Mei,Taipei 

Zhang Sheng Zhu Hai (Scholar Zhang Boils the Sea), is a Yuan drama written by Li Haogu in the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368 B.C.). It tells a story that Zhang falls in love with Qionglian, the third daughter of the Dragon King of the East Sea, and vows to become man and wife on the Mid-Autumn day at Shamen Island. Not only does the Dragon King disapprove of this marriage, but he also inundates the island with seawater. Thanks to the help of a celestial maiden, Zhang learns how to cause the sea to boil. As a result the Dragon King has to come out of the sea and gives his daughter to Zhang.

The One Who Boiled the Sea on the one hand adapts the four-act play from its original version, and on the other it delivers a modern interpretation by weaving into modern scenes, e.g. the western wedding, the gym, and the TV show. While Zhang and Qionglian depicting the old story of boiling the sea, an omniscient character performs a monologue in the modern scenarios. By Observing the postures of various people in the gym, the character assumes them as – decaying with flesh on the irreversible life path, barring with the memory from Mother Nature, and struggling silently and yet fiercely. 

By watching the plots of the wedding footage, the marriage proposal, and the TV show, we see various views on love. What it reflects is that people always long for things they don’t have on another person while pursuing of intimate relationship. Again and again, however, inappropriate expectations do make them feel a strong sense of loss.