The Diary of Song 2026 | Re-reading a hero's diary page after page | In search of the meaning of life amidst daily absurdities

Re-reading a hero’s diary page after page
In search of the meaning of life amidst daily absurdities
The Diary of Song 2026

 
【HKRep】The Diary of Song, which garnered Best Original Script and Outstanding Production of the Year at the 27^th Hong Kong Drama Awards in 2018, returns to the stage anew. This version helmed by Poon Wai Sum assembles new heroes from China’s great mountains newly accompanied by Chan Wai Fat’s original music and songs, recrafting a classic movable diary. The Diary of Song 2026 is written and directed by HKRep Artistic Director Poon Wai Sum, with assistant director Lee Kwok Wai, with a cast featuring Yau Ting Fai, Chan Kiu, Yu Hon Ting, Angus Chan, Poon Tai Ming, Dee To, Mercy Wong, Kiki Cheung, Wong Hiu Yee, Ng Ka Leung, Trickle Choi and Karrie Tan. The production runs from July 18^th to August 2^nd at the Hong Kong City Hall Theatre. Tickets are available now from URBTIX outlets. The Diary of Song 2026 is a programme of the Chinese Culture Festival 2026.
 
A Based on the legendary 108 heroes from The Water Margin, this play is a uniquely modern reinterpretation. It is rumoured that The Diary of Song has been circulating widely, that the author—Wu Song—is both an intellectual and a warrior, with a distinctive perspective recording life’s minutiae. He once killed a tiger, he also caught flies, and every page of that diary is filled with blood and sweat. But now he is unemployed, peddling sesame cakes, witnessing all of life’s absurdities. Yet he still dreams on, writing poetry and envisioning a faraway desert while other characters seem burdened by their bitter and sad stories. The Diary of Song tackles the hardships of modern life, examining how—when caught between our ideals and reality—we can find meaning, leading a happy and carefree existence.
 
The Diary of Song premiered in 2017 to great acclaim . Beginning in 2022, an HD version of the production has appeared on cinema screens in multiple cities—Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Guilin, Wuhan, Shanghai, Beijing and more—becoming a best-kept secret among theatre aficionados. Now injected with fresh musical and creative energy, this new production reconstructs the heroes’ psyche and dilemma—trapped between going forward and turning back—so aptly in words and in action, inspiring theatregoers to find their way and ponder the meaning of life.
 
Playwright and Director Poon Wai Sum states,“Among Chinese literary classics, The Water Margin is a deep and hefty novel akin to a dictionary in which every word carries weight and meaning. Do people still read such novels today? I’m afraid they are few and far between. Indeed, who is Wu Song? What about his good and bad deeds? It is my fervent wish that people’s interest and curiosity will intensify for The Water Margin through The Diary of Song, perhaps even to the extent of misreading it. To me, literary works are not open to just one standard interpretation. ‘Misreading’ by the public can amplify aesthetic appreciation. This applies not only to The Water Margin but also The Diary of Song.”