20/01/2026 –

In May 2025, Xavier received a substantial grant from the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation to research the life of Robert van Gulik in China and Japan, develop the script and libretto of his opera The Dutch Mandarin, and interview experts in Peking Opera.

Throughout 2025, Xavier travelled extensively to gain a deeper understanding of the environments in which Robert van Gulik lived during the 1930s and 1940s, when he was stationed in Tokyo and Chongqing respectively. Research trips to Chongqing, Chengdu, Nanjing, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Leiden proved invaluable in enriching the script, expanding his knowledge of the turbulent era in which China and Japan were at odds, and securing further support for the opera’s development.

During his visit to Japan, Xavier was received by the Dutch Ambassador to Japan, Gilles Beschoor Plug, and the Cultural Attaché, Bas Valckx. They kindly offered him a tour of Robert van Gulik’s former residence and provided photographs of the house as it appeared in the 1920s.