An immortal spectacle

The crew revised 12 drafts before deciding on a final script that adopts a humorous and lighthearted storyline to portray the seemingly irreconcilable differences of the protagonists.

"This grand narrative seemed heavy to present, so we decided to use a comedic way in the plot, so as to make the production more acceptable for the general audience, and bridge the gap between history and today," Wang says.

Gulmira Mamat, an associate professor at Minzu University of China, plays the role of Chunjun. Although she is an experienced dancer, she specializes in solo dance, and this is the first dance drama she has participated in.

"Performing in a dance drama is a test of a dancer's comprehensive abilities. In addition to professional dancing skills, we need to be able to portray a character, express the emotions and tell a story," she says.