Classic, wise proverb on the snipe-clam fight adapted for children's play

A children's play adapted from an old fable called "The Snipe Clam Grapple" will be shown to young audiences in Beijing starting in late May.

The China National Theatre for Children arranges a discussion about adapting "The Snipe Clam Grapple" into a children's play. [Photo: China Plus]

That's according to the China National Theatre for Children. The theatre combines traditional puppet-play techniques and the drum music of Jiangzhou in Shanxi province into the play.

Meanwhile, all characters on the stage are mute, with the actors using only body language to tell the story.

A cartoon picture interprets The Snipe Clam Grapple story. [Photo: blog.sina.com.cn]

Feng Li is the writer of the play, and also the theatre's deputy head. She said the play is for children between two and three years old.

Feng said she hopes the new drama can also enchant audiences worldwide with eastern wisdom in traditional Chinese culture.

The Snipe Clam Grapple story conveys a concept of when neighbors fight, nobody wins. The storyline involves a snipe that pecks at a clam's meat, but the clam slams its shell shut on the bird's beak. Neither party is willing to give up. Then, a fisherman scoops them both up and carries them off.