More commemorative works

Besides the highly anticipated Romeo and Juliet, there are other activities planned to commemorate Shakespeare over the coming year. In late 2013 the TNT Theatre Group of Britain launched their tour of Shakespeare's Macbeth across different cities in China, playing to many colleges and universities.

Michael Wagg, an actor from TNT, recently published an article in The Guardian about his experiences in China during the course of the tour.

"Chinese students were very excited when talking about the power of words in Shakespeare's plays," Wagg wrote. "A student from Hangzhou (the capital city of Zhejiang Province) told us that he believed Shakespeare's works are beyond national boundaries, the stories they tell are universal."

This year TNT will continue their performances in China, with Romeo and Juliet coming to Beijing in April.

In addition to the various stage presentations, there will be several new translations of Shakespeare's works, offering readers a more genuine reflection of his plays and poetry.

In March, the Shanghai Translation Publishing House will publish a collection of 39 of Shakespeare's plays translated by eight leading Chinese translators, including the late Fang Ping and 91-year-old Tu An.

The new volume will be in a poetic style that best matches that of the original works, and will not only function as literature but also provide important references for future stage productions.

Adding to the expectations of Shakespeare's Chinese fans is that it includes two new plays which have seldom seen the light of day in China before, The Two Noble Kinsmen and Edward III.

"With the continuing research on Shakespeare's works by world literature experts, 39 of his works have now been confirmed," said Lu Gusun, a professor from the Fudan University in Shanghai.

Beyond the passage of time

Having bought a statue of Shakespeare from his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon in Britain in 1993, Tian now keeps it at the rehearsals for her version of Romeo and Juliet, underscoring the seasoned director's high esteem for the literary giant.

"No matter in the West or the East, people have the same emotions," said Tian. "Shakespeare has the capacity to present the deepest emotions of humankind in a simple yet original way."

In modern China people are familiar with Shakespeare just as Western people recognize the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius.

More than 100 years after he was introduced to China, people's enthusiasm for reading and performing Shakespeare's work has never faded. "He will always be the classic, beyond the passage of time," said Tian.