Embarking on a Drift to the Unknown addresses themes of colonisation, oppression and the many untold stories of immigrant Chinese women.

As the play opens, we hear the sound of a ship’s horn and a deep rumble. Actor, dancer and sound artist Cheng Shih-Yung walks from the auditorium to the stage and begins to address the audience.

She discusses the idea of fortune telling, asks us what we think about the idea of fate, and describes Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗數), a Chinese astrological system that is not intended to be predictive but is used to show how the different aspects of our lives interact and how our choices fit within the cosmic order.

She suggests that we should accept our fate and live with it. Or should we?

Cheng talks about how she moved from Malaysia to Taiwan to study and ended up staying. Revealing her own character in the play as the granddaughter of the subject of the play, she introduces the story of her grandmother.

Following this introduction, the audience don wireless headphones that were provided and through which we hear Cheng’s voice and the rest of the production.