The National Theatre of Greece staged the first ever bilingual play in Greek and Chinese on Sunday.

Directed by Wang Xiaoying, it was in 2016 that his unique approach to classic Chinese play The Orphan of Zhao – where Chinese and Greek actors speak their lines in their native tongue, but with bilingual subtitles for the audience – first sprung to mind, seeing him team up with the theatre in Athens.

“It was an unheard-of challenge for both us,” Mr Xiaoying told The Global Times.

“After months of hard work, they were able to work together very well. Sometimes they give the impression that they can actually understand what each other are saying. It is definitely a special experience for audiences.”

The director spent two years working on the collaboration, and two months in Athens rehearsing ahead of opening night.

The Orphan of Zhao is about physician Cheng Ying who sacrifices his own child to protect the last surviving Zhao family member from the general who had 300 members of the family killed. He goes on to raise the orphan and to assist him in planning his revenge against the general – a theme that is also present in ancient Greek dramas the likes of Agamemnon.

“The idea of an eye for an eye is often questioned by modern minds. Through this play, I not only depict the traditional Chinese ethics on display in the original story such as loyalty, commitment and self-sacrifice, but also re-examine the concept of revenge by weighing it against the ideas of mercy and kindness in Chinese philosophy,” Mr Xiaoying explained.

The first person to attain a doctorate in stage plays in China, the director says there are a number of common themes present in Chinese and Greek theatre, which helps to narrow the culture gap.

The cast featured two Chinese performers and 13 Greek, the latter knowing very little about Chinese culture and plays before taking part in Mr Xiaoying’s production. But all that quickly changed.

“For me, being here [in Greece] means pursuing the exchange and collision of the two cultures,” he said.

“They showed interest and admiration for traditional Chinese dramas and the core theories that are at the heart of Chinese philosophy. Some of them started studying Chinese dramas during spare time and some even began to learn Chinese. They also learned about Chinese virtues: being loyal to commitments and being kind. I think this is truly the only way Chinese culture can make its way abroad.”

‘The Orphan of Zhao’ is being staged in Athens until Sunday 2 December.