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It is a casting call to top all casting calls. The project in question is a television adaptation of A Dream of Red Mansions, a mammoth novel that is indisputably the pinnacle of Chinese literature in the fiction genre. There are some 100 roles with names and the Beijing Television Station has made the casting process an ongoing talent contest show.

The runaway success of similar reality-based programming has made it possible for the producers to recoup much of the investment through a reality TV search, which has the added advantages of more melodrama and the creation of new stars.

"Many of the winners from such shows as Supergirls and My Hero are here to audition for the television series," said Tan Fei, a judge for some of the audition sessions. "This is the ultimate contest show."

Heated audition

On the first day of open auditioning in early November, 3,000 people queued up in Beijing's Daguanyuan theme park, built in the 1980s to the specifications of a previous CCTV series based on the same novel. That series has had some 700 reruns.

In addition to this 36-episode adaptation, there are a dozen prominent dramatizations, including those from Hong Kong and Taiwan, that were popular during their day. The new version, slated for 2008, is burdened by this historical baggage as well as unrealistically high expectations and some say it will likely be an anti-climax when it debuts.

Ang Lee, whose temperament fits the "Dream" like a glove, explained to China Daily on a previous occasion that filming this landmark novel would be like "a moth flying into a flame."

But Hu Mei, with a bevy of television hits under her belt, is ready to tackle the job. "She is the only woman director for all known Dream projects and she will bring her own unique sensitivity to it," said Tan Fei.

Many of the contestants do not seem to be aware of the looming shadow of the original work or previous adaptations. Rather, they have come face to face with so many other competitors, who, like them, want to break through into the entertainment industry via this high-profile project. Beijing was just one of 10 audition sites nationwide. By the end of November, 244,000 contestants had walked through the audition door.

There are three rounds of open auditions coupled with two more rounds of contests, altogether taking months and building momentum towards a lucrative undertaking. Rumour has it that each episode of the finished product will sell for US$1 million in the overseas market and that a scriptwriter from the 1987 version has raised money for a parallel series, with 111 episodes.

Beijing's Round Two, completed last week, whittled down the local list of contestants from 600 to 100. With fewer competitors, each one got more time to showcase his or her talent. (In Round One, everyone got one minute and was scored on appearance, disposition and acting.)

Yet, many played up their singularities rather than implicit associations with the characters they want to portray. A girl who was in the running for Lin Daiyu, the female lead with porcelain fragility, strutted her stuff in a hot jazz dance. A lady who covets the role of Liu Laolao, a country bumpkin, elegantly recited a poem.

Do the homework

Tan told China Daily that about 60 per cent of the contestants has a college education. "Some are very familiar with the novel and have made exhaustive preparations," he said. "I'm impressed." But he admitted that there are people who did not do their homework. One contestant did not even recognize the name of the leading character Lin Daiyu and thought the judges were discussing her future salaries and perks, a homonym "daiyu."

Chen Miao did not make the grade even though she dazzled all three judges with a rendition of a Peking Opera aria. The 14-year-old was going for a minor role, but the contest has set a minimum age limit of 18, as required by government regulations. "I've read the book many times," she said, with a hint of disappointment, "and I'm not deterred. I will go seek other roles that may better fit me as I grow up and opportunities arise."

Like Chen, many contestants are students or graduates from performing arts schools. They see the open audition as both a training ground and a possible launching pad for their career. Xiao Wen, who got through Round Two with a dramatic reading of a poem, is a recent graduate from the famed Beijing Film Academy, a background which obviously gave her an edge in this kind of manoeuvring.

The length some wannabies took to win the plum roles was nothing short of amazing. Zhang Di, in the running for the male lead Jia Baoyu, immersed himself in the world of the character. His parents and friends redecorated his room according to descriptions in the book. However, his knowledge proved to be skin deep. Once the judges asked him to "demonstrate more talent," he opted for the ubiquitous poem reading. Even though he made the cut, he got so scared that he swore he would immerse himself in the novel before the third round.

"Rudimentary understanding of the original work is necessary," said Zhou Ling, one of the judges for this round and a writer for the 1987 version.

The televised casting call has been accused of "cheapening and commercializing the great masterpiece," but for those hoping to get into the costume drama and to profit from the spotlight, there is nothing cheap or easy about it.

(China Daily December 12, 2006)