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A scene from River/Cloud. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Each year, he stages a show of his own. This year, he's putting on his 40th production, River/Cloud, a spinoff of his classic play, Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land. The classic play is a tragicomedy. It involves a poignant love story of Yun Zhifan and Jiang Binliu, who are separated and lose contact during the War of Liberation (1946-49). Then unbeknown to each other, both move from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan.

"There's so little background information about them, so I wanted to explore these characters I created. It's a fascinating exercise for a writer to dissect their characters and write their life stories," Lai says. "It becomes a journey of self-discovery. These themes of missed connections, chance encounters, life, and love have been swirling around my mind. I felt it was the perfect time to write a piece that weaves all these elements together."