Plays to mark key author's life and work

Last year, Wan Fang published a book, titled You And Me, which followed the romance between her father and mother. Wan Fang's mother, Fang Rui, was born into an intellectual family and was the second wife of Cao. She died in 1974.When Cao died in 1996, Wan Fang's stepmother, Li Yuru, gave her all the letters between Cao and Fang during the 1940s, which inspired Wan Fang to write the book.

"It took me over 10 years to finish the book. In the beginning, I wanted to dedicate it to my mother, because I had never written anything about her. But as I read the letters, I got to know both of my parents better and the book has become a gift to both of them," says Wan Fang.

The romance between Cao and Fang also led to Cao's classic work, Peking Man, which was written in 1941 and premiered at the Beijing People's Art Theater in 1957.

The four-act play set in Beijing dramatizes the conflict in a declining feudal family during the 1930s.

The patriarch Zeng Hao spends his days recalling the glorious years of the past. His eldest son, Wenqing, does nothing all day and lives off his father. Wenqing's wife, Siyi, is the boss of the house, while Zeng's son-in-law is a playboy. Sufang, Zeng's niece, is the only member of the family who appears reliable but she falls in love with Wenqing. She remains single for Wenqing and finally leaves the family for and a new life.

"Sufang shares a lot of similarities with my mother, who took good care of the family, loved to paint and write," Wan Fang says. "When my father wrote Peking Man, he shared the story with my mother one act after one act. My mother made suggestions and wrote on the papers.'When I watched the play Peking Man in the theater, I think of you. The suggestions you made were well-placed' my father wrote to my mother."