Huang Ying, director of the Chinese stage play To Be Continued, loves taking photos of the sky.

"Every time I see the white clouds in the blue sky," he says, "I think of the sky in To Be Continued. It feels like the play itself is still unfolding."

Nearly two decades after its debut, the play is preparing for its 20th anniversary next year — a milestone few contemporary Chinese dramas reach.

From June 10 to 14, To Be Continued will be staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, a testament to its enduring appeal.

Huang, 48, one of China's most accomplished theater directors with more than 50 productions to his name, has collaborated with the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the National Theatre of China, in addition to staging his own works.

Born and raised in Beijing, Huang initially pursued a career in science, earning a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from China Agricultural University. His path shifted after watching Antique, a play directed by Lin Zhaohua of the Beijing People's Art Theater in 1997. "Something about that performance opened my eyes," he recalls. "I realized theater could speak to life in ways science never could."