Zhang Yimou directed his first Beijing-Opera production in the Chinese capital at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA): "You and Me" is based on a 2700-year-old Chinese imperial story from the chapter "Lord Zheng defeats Duan in Yan" from the legend of Zuo – a tale of betrayal, the power of infantile love and the fact that blood is thicker than water.

During the Zhenguan era, Emperor Li Shimin embraces Wei Zheng’s blunt counsel to curb corruption and luxury; after a fierce court clash, the ruler reforms the palace and wins public support—an emblem of “Zhenguan prosperity.”