Under a Streetlight

Synopsis

A dimly lit street corner in a Beijing hutong, where the fading glow of a streetlight casts long shadows and illuminates the underbelly of urban life.

The Bike-mender and the Fruit-seller, two aging fixtures of the neighborhood, while away the evening hours with idle chatter and local gossip. Their mundane existence is disrupted by the arrival of a Pimp and his reluctant ‘Young Lady’. As the night unfolds, this chance encounter exposes the harsh realities of life on the margins of society, forcing the two older men to confront their own complicity in a system of exploitation and violence.

Wang Xiaoli’s Under a Streetlight is a taut, unflinching examination of urban alienation and moral compromise in contemporary China. Through sharp dialogue and understated action, the playwright peels back layers of social pretense to reveal the raw nerves of a changing society.