A Handful of Wild Jujubes is another dance drama directed by Zhang Jigang, the Vice Director of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Ceremonies and the Art Director of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe, after his well-known production Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Kwan-yin, China's Virgin Mary) performed by 21 deaf and dumb actresses.

In less than one year, "A Handful of Wild Jujubes" has been performed over 100 times in China and was chosen to stage in the Great Hall of the People at the closing ceremony of the third dance season. It is the first dance drama in China's dance history to reflect the culture and describe the love of Shanxi merchants.

Synopsis

The story, occurs at the end of Qing Dynasty, depicts the tragic love story of a young couple under the historical background of numerous Shanxi businessmen leaving their homes for Xikou.

Suanzao was a pretty and virtuous maid of a landlord. She fell in love with a young, diligent, and smart manservant and became secretly engaged with him, with sour jujube as the evidence. However, later Suanzao was forced to marry the landlord's foolish son and became mad.

Suanzao waited on the road beside Xikou day after day for her lover back from Xikou (Xikou is the border between Shanxi Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. At that time, due to disasters, many local people in Shanxi had to leave for Inner Mongolia via Xikou to earn a living.) Finally, the young manservant came back. They met on the road happily. But sadly, both of them died after eating the sour jujube, which represented love. Suanzao's father -- the landlord's chamberlain -- had poisoned the jujube.