Another adaptation of As You Like It

The adaptation of the play As You Like It can take place in colonial Hong Kong within 1847 and 1997. Duke Frederick’s father was assigned a place in Hong Kong, taking care of the political administration. He was born in Hong Kong to a British couple and raised in Hong Kong. Later he formed his family in Hong Kong. His daughter Rosaline fell in love with a man Orlando who illegally ran away from Mainland China to Hong Kong for better living standard. Orlando was born in Mainland China. His family escaped to Hong Kong and before his parents died, he was promised education and a certain good living. But his brother did not follow the will of his parents, leaving Orlando the lonely man in a ‘foreign’ place. As a new comer of Hong Kong, who also knew no English, Orlando didn’t know the way to seek legal assistance nor meditator. He was angry with his brother’s unscrupulousness and couldn’t let go him unless he gave him fair treatment. This dispute developed under the table – a violent wrestle. Rosaline fell in love with Orlando and felt pity of him. Later, the Duke Frederick banished Rosaline to the Mainland China in which the Duke Senior had been banished. Olive later was set up by Duke Frederick. Not only did he confiscate the property of Olive but also banish him back to Mainland China. Finally the banished all came back to Hong Kong by legal appeal to courts and unveiling the corrupted officials.

The Opium War has further drawn China down from the hierarchy of nation power. Hong Kong as a colonial region, benefitted financially and socially from British government. Even Hong Kong is a part of China, the disparity between the rich and the poor was big in the neighboring region. A lot of mainlanders longed for a change and tried to flee to Hong Kong for chances.

This gives rise to Orlando’s pursuit of fair treatment and anger because Olive’s unscrupulousness destroyed his only hope in the new land. Also, the banishment (back to Mainland China) indeed happened when the escaping mainlanders were caught, fitting the plot of original version of the play.

This setting shows the power hierarchy in descending order– Britain, Hong Kong then Mainland China (at that time). This makes the characterization stands out – the political power of the Duke party from Britain and the helpless Orlando came across each other in the land of Hong Kong. Some of whom were later banished to an even less powerful place. Orlando’s ‘reunion’ with his brother Olive in Mainland China actually implies the familial root of this family, which nurtured them and gave thought to the sentiment and brotherhood. Finally the fact that Duke Fredrick was punished, Orlando and Olive retrieved what they lost are the embodiment of the Hong Kong history which the powerful nation fell, leaving the history to Hong Kongers (so as the Duke Senior passed his throne and property to Orlando).