Silk Road themed show to debut at cultural expo in Dunhuang

Recently, a promotional meeting for the theatrical performance of the 5th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo and the 10th Dunhuang Tour-Silk Road International Tourism Festival was held in the Lanzhou Concert Hall.

The meeting included discussions of overall performance planning, casting, program rehearsal, video production and other related matters.

Yang Jianren, head of the theatrical performance group, Leading Party Members Group and deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, pointed out that outstanding performers in the province should be organized to participate in the performance.

"We should conduct online video broadcasting to showcase outstanding programs by literary and art groups from the guest country South Korea and China's Shaanxi, Chongqing, Xinjiang and other provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), so as to fully demonstrate the charm of the Belt and Road cultural tourism resources and the international influence of the cultural expo and tourism festival," Yang said.

It is said that this year's performance consists of two parts: the opening ceremony "Meeting in Dunhuang" and the folk instrumental music drama Xuanzang's Pilgrimage.

Portions of the dance dramas Silk Road, Flower Rain and Dream of Dunhuang will also be presented at the opening ceremony.

The Silk Road, Flower Rain, which was created the by Gansu Song and Dance Theater with the world-renowned Dunhuang frescoes and the Silk Road as its inspiration, is a classic dance drama.

Over the past 21 years, the drama Dream of Dunhuang has been performed more than 1,800 times around the world. It has become a successful example of Chinese dance drama with "multiple performances and multiple outputs".

It is worth mentioning that the folk instrumental music drama Xuanzang's Pilgrimage, created and produced by the China National Traditional Orchestra, will be staged at the Dunhuang Grand Theater on the evening of September 23.

The drama tells the story of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang (602-664), who traveled the length of the Silk Road across China on a pilgrimage to India. It is the first folk instrumental music drama in China, embodying the inheritance and innovation of contemporary folk music. It is also a high-level work that exemplifies Chinese folk instrumental music.