About the work
A House of Daowu is a community-based theatre work in the Miao language, written and directed by Geboli Long. Inspired by Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, the piece was reimagined and locally adapted in the creative process into an original work rooted in the contemporary realities of Miao village life.
The project premiered during the 2026 Lunar New Year in Zhanliu Village, Jianhe County, Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, and was initially created and performed by a group of Miao young people with an average age of around twenty. Performed primarily in the Miao language, the work begins with the themes of womanhood, family, and awakening found in A Doll's House, then gradually expands into broader public questions embedded in Miao rural life — intergenerational relationships, cultural inheritance, return and departure, coming-of-age, and the pressures of contemporary social reality.
A House of Daowu extends beyond formal performance into a multi-layered structure of engagement. Through its movement from village to city, and from community-based performance to cross-community public dialogue, it has become a place-based theatre practice connecting Miao community realities, cultural self-reflection, and the creation of public space for dialogue.
Production photographs
The village-to-city practice
Zhanliu Village
2026 Lunar New Year
Village-based performances in the Miao language, followed by talkbacks with family members, local residents, and returning young people. Audience sat on wooden benches in the village square.
Guiyang · urban dialogues
Performances and gatherings in the provincial capital, expanding into dialogue-based conversations with Miao scholars, cultural advocates, and young people who have moved from village to city.
Continuing practice
Return visits to Zhanliu, new adaptations with incoming village youth, and documentation of the dialogue series. This is an ongoing program, not a closed production.
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