Promotional material for Heavensent Photo: Courtesy of Damai

The first-ever stage adaptation of Chinese writer Lao She's Heavensent debuted at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center on Wednesday. 

Directed by Fang Xu and starring Guo Qilin and Yan Heqiang, the drama follows the life of an abandoned baby, who is adopted by a family surnamed Niu and given the name Tianci, or Heavensent, and how he rebels against their teachings.  

Although many of Lao She's classics have been adapted for the stage, his novel Heavensent had never been touched. 

Fang, who has a strong fondness for Lao She's works and has extensive experience adapting the writer's dramas, said he hopes bringing Heavensent to the stage can be seen a tribute to mark the 120th anniversary of Lao She's birth. 

Fang and his team spent a year and a half preparing the drama and decided to stage it with an all-male cast. 

The drama will kick off a national tour to Tianjin, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai in 2020.