The Shaanxi People's Art Theater's rendition of Bai Lu Yuan features impressive stage sets that are reflective of real-life Shaanxi society. The music is inspired by the traditional Qinqiang Opera. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chen was born in August 1942 in Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi. He started writing prose in 1965 and completed the novel in 1992.

With its publication in 1993, Chen shot to fame almost overnight. Critics described his works as a "realistic reflection of Chinese contemporary history".

"During the process of adaptation, I mapped out on the wall the relationship of all the characters in the novel, their life experiences and changes against certain period of time in history. I also tried to figure out the personality of each character for the stage presentation," Meng says.

"This novel is timeless and I wanted to display the writer's ideas as much as possible."

The scriptwriter stayed in the province's countryside for weeks while working on his script, trying his hand at farming and eating noodles with the local people. That helped him understand the deep connection between farmers and their land.