Thunderstorm at Theatre Studi

Set in the early years of the Chinese Republic, Thunderstorm depicts the tragedy befalling two households, following an ill-fated romance torn apart by class differences.

When he was a young man, Zhou Puyuan, the patriarch of the wealthy Zhou family, defied social taboos and fell in love with his maidservant Shiping, who bore him a son Zhou Ping. But the strict rules that governed feudal families made their relationship unacceptable, and Shiping was banished from the Zhou residence, leaving Zhou Ping in the care of his father.

Puyuan later marries a wealthy girl Fanyi, who is only seven years older than his son Zhou Ping. She bears Puyuan, a son, Zhou Chong but a cold and loveless marriage exists between Fanyi and Puyuan, so she turns her heart to weak-willed step-son Zhou Ping. They begin an illicit affair but guilt-ridden Zhou Ping finds solace and true love in his servant Sifeng, and the two begin a romance in the shadows.

The tragic chain of events unfolds, reuniting the original lovers Puyuan and Shiping, who turns out to be Sifeng’s mother. As hidden blood ties and true identities are revealed, Zhou Ping and Sifeng find themselves thrown into a storm of destruction.