Source: CCTV.com

03-09-2007 09:34

"Along the River During Qingming Festival", known in Chinese as Qing Ming Shang He Tu, is the matchless work of Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan. The scroll of painting captures the daily life during the Song Dynasty in the capital Bianliang, today's Kaifeng in central China's Henan Province. 1000 years later, a crew of artists from Kaifeng are trying to capture the essence of the masterpiece in song and dance. Our reporter Yang Ran takes us to the Beijing debut Wednesday night.

What did Kaifeng look like a thousand years ago?

Singers and dancers present the costumes and architecture of the period, and more importantly, the lifestyle of all layers of society, from rich to poor.

And just as the artist Zhang Zeduan detailed in his masterpiece, the stage captures the bustling capital downtown and its entertainment like acrobatics, magic and puppet shows.

The general director says the dances were abstracted from the original painting.

Huang Lei, general choreographer, said, "We got the inspiration from the painting and we also went to local museums to check out some Song Dynasty materials. Then we created the unique dance of twisting shoulders. It's totally different from any other traditional Chinese dances. We made it a cultural symbol of the drama."

Big names from across the country have been invited to take part, including Peking Opera artists Jiang Qihu, who plays Emperor Songhuizong, and Guan Dongtian, who plays the painter himself. It's also an attempt to combine drama and opera.

Huang said, "I want to give some brand new idea to the show so I designed a Peking Opera dialogue for the emperor Songhuizong. I admit that it's a bold attempt but I think Chinese audience members need to be guided but not catered to. I hope I can open up a new way of making China's own drama."

Henan artists have long wished to put the classic painting on stage. And the packed audiences in Henan and east China encouraged them to take the show to Beijing.

The capital's artists and experts have been asked to give their feedback, as the cast and crew are determined to make "Along the River" one of China's top ten stage art pieces.

 

Editor:Liu Fang