The prototype of Chen Huaihai in the TV series Old Tavern is the father of screenwriter Gao Mantang, and the prototype of Old Tavern is the Shandong old tavern opened by Gao Mantang's father in Dalian.
This play was written by Gao Mantang on the occasion of his father's centenary birthday to show his respect for his father.
In the play, Chen Huaihai is a nobody who came to Northeast China. He used to dig ginseng in the mountains in the northeast, but he was accidentally separated from a pair of children and even his daughter-in-law was cheated away. So Chen Huaihai had no choice but to come to Dalian Ren Hao Street and open a pub to make a living. After a long time, the old pub has become a stage where information from all directions and people of all colors gather. Later, Chen Huaihai met Gu Sanmei, an underground party member, and with the help of Gu Sanmei, she smashed the Japanese plot and finally ushered in the liberation of Dalian.