In the eyes of Beijing woman Cui Yunshan, 27, and her husband Guan Wei, 26, frequenting cultural activities is "an interesting lifestyle", or even a potential target for market exploration. This young couple sees at least three or four performances each weekend.

But for the 51-year-old director of the National Theatre Company of China (NTCC), Wang Xiaoying, the impulse to examine the human soul has been his primary driving force since the early 1980s.

China's arts have witnessed a significant change since the country set out on the path of reform and opening up in 1978. Despite the seemingly flourishing garden that "lets one hundred flowers bloom", critics have voiced both doubts and hopes about the future of the arts.

Born into a family of traditional opera performers in 1957, Wang was exposed to the arts at a very young age. After four years with a local performing arts troupe in eastern Anhui Province, he abandoned his admittance to Anhui Institute of Technology in preference for the Central Academy of Drama (CAD) in 1979. "My intuition told me that my life would be devoted to the arts."

Wang and his 19 classmates, the first batch of directing majors since the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, were strictly trained under the drama system adopted from the Soviet Union. "On the whole, it followed the traditional line: the arts are a tool to reflect reality and serve social needs."

In his third year, Wang sensed a change, both in society and on campus. "We had the chance to read Western works, notably the absurd theater led by Samuel Beckett and epic theater led by Bertolt Brecht." The 'spring breeze of reform' was stirring across China's arts world, and artists were experiencing a cultural reawakening that lasted for a full decade.

Later, Wang was able to see for himself foreign performances. The young man was deeply moved by a Japanese drama that told of a frog's adventures on a tree. "It never occurred to me that an adult's outlook on the world could be reflected by animals. My previous concept that realistic drama is the 'unbreakable golden rule' was rudely challenged."

When Wang enrolled in the China National Youth Theater (the predecessor of NTCC) upon graduation in 1984, he was immersed in a movement of experimentation. "It was imperative to go through reform, to prevent the extinction of drama in the face of the mushrooming film and television scene."

Two years later, the 28-year-old director put on his debut production, The Magic Square. Written by a student from East China's Normal University, it was divided into nine sections, each telling its own distinct story. A multitude of artistic forms were exercised, such as the monologue, mime, interview, and even advertising.

"Novel as it was, the theme was easily grasped: the young generation's multi-faceted thinking, or criticizing, of society and the meaning of life," Wang recalls, still excited. "I was enveloped by an urge to confront traditional drama."

The passionate audiences also experienced the urge, and the drama was shown consecutively for more than 80 nights in Beijing and Shanghai, winning acclaim from the avant-garde and brickbats from conservative supervisors.

It was thanks to his controversial experimental dramas that Wang was tagged "the most pioneering director in China".

Nationwide, other drama directors were also experimenting with what they termed "an exploration of both artistic ideas and expression". "I was starting to search the innermost part of the mind. I could see clearly the shortcomings of Teahouse or Thunderstorm models that had been passed on from one generation to the next."