A theatre piece on modern love and ghost stories inspired by Liao Zhai

A frustrated author Mr Pu (David Wang) goes into “LiuZhai Hotel”, longing to let go of the past by resetting his ex-wife Mrs Pu as his girlfriend Ms Wu (Sylvia Chang) and to have a relationship with her as he pleases. No matter how realistic such a fantasy may seem, however, destiny always gets in the way. It turns out that the “hotel” is the liminal space he is stuck in after having a heart attack.

On the other hand, Ms Wu keeps telling herself to move on after the divorce, yet she cannot. She misses Mr Pu; she keeps meeting her past self when she thought she has turned a new page, pondering why they cannot be together.

Wrong timing is the worst obstacle for a relationship. Yet the narcissistic nature of the modern man makes it seem like people are living in parallel universes, which are filled with mis-timed encounters and separations. What does the story of Mr Pu and Ms Wu reveal to us?

Premiered in Taipei in December 2017, Why We Chat? has toured to 14 cities, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing. This screening version was recorded during the re-run in Hong Kong in June 2018.