The adventures of little Sanmao, the lovable, scruffy Shanghai street urchin brought to life by the pen of cartoonist Zhang Leping in 1935, have provided cultural backdrop for several generations of Chinese. Both the film and the animation based on this strip have enjoyed long-term popularity, and a musical with the same name debuted to fanfare last summer. But of all the tales spun about this poor boy who made his living on the streets of old Shanghai by shining shoes, selling newspapers and working in shops, the most impressive is definitely composer San Bao’s original score based on the life of the little ruffian. San Bao is one of China’s most popular composers, and his music is diverse, fusing different genres of music together, and he freely moves between classical and pop tunes. He has written the scores to a variety of films, including Zhang Yimou’s My Father and Mother. In Winter of Three Hairs he plays with pop, creating a score that culminates in pieces such as “The Whole World” and “The Warmth.” ¥80-880.

DETAILS

What: Winter of Three Hairs

Where: Poly Theatre

When: Wed., Feb. 15 to Sat., Feb. 18, 7:30pm

Tel: 6417-7845, 400-610-3721