THE much-anticipated Chinese version of the Korean musical “Fan Letter” will return to the local stage in June, following its successful Shenzhen premier in 2024.

An original Korean musical that premiered in 2016, “Fan Letter” won the top prize that year at the Glocal Musical Live, a project designed to promote original Korean musicals. It has since seen successful licensed productions and tours in both China and Japan, and in 2024, it was staged in London.

The Chinese version retains the essence of the original score and storyline while adapting the background and characters for a local audience. Since its Chinese premiere in 2022, it has garnered widespread acclaim, maintaining a score of 8 out of 10 on Douban, a popular Chinese review platform. It also won multiple awards at a 2024 musical industry gala, including Most Popular Musical, Best Actor, Best Stage Design, and Best Lighting Design.

Set in 1940s Shanghai, the drama follows the “Seven Persons Society,” a group of writers who, despite the devastation of war, cling to literary dreams and creative ambition. The plot is set in motion by the planned publication of the final private letter between the recently deceased novelist Kim Hae-jin and the enigmatic female writer Seo Kwang. Young editor Jung Mi-ram, an admirer of Hae-jin, teams up with publisher Lee Yung to uncover the truth behind the letter and the lives it hints at.

Mi-ram once corresponded with Hae-jin under the pen name “Seo Kwang,” a persona that Hae-jin eventually turned into a muse through his writing. What begins as an illuminating creative exchange gradually becomes a haunting ordeal for both of them. Through intimate revelations and the fraught choices of its characters, Fan Letter probes the emotional world of the literati and explores themes of artistic pursuit and the longing for love shared by a generation of Chinese intellectuals.

Time: 8 p.m., June 26-27

Venue: Shenzhen Poly Theater, Nanshan District (深圳保利剧院)

Metro: Line 2, 11, or 13 to Houhai Station (后海站), Exit E(Li Dan)