Premiering in Beijing in May 2000, the production has since toured around China -- including Hong Kong -- and won great praise from critics and audiences.

Jia Zuoguang, one of the most respectable choreographers in China and president of the Chinese Dancers' Association, hailed the show as the "perfect combination of music, dance and drama."

About 13 years ago, a six-scene dance drama called Episode on the Silk Road, featuring the dance idioms largely from the ancient murals now kept at the famous Dunhuang Grottoes in Northwest China's Gansu Province, became a milestone in the history of Chinese classical dance.

Now, Great Dream of Dunhuang Grottoes tells the stories behind the amazing murals, the talents of the artists who painted the murals and their hard work.

Struggling artist Mo Gao faints in the desert on the way to Dunhuang to look for inspiration for his paintings. Yueya, a woman-disguised as a general, saves him. She takes Mo's paintings but leaves him her kettle.

Later, Mo and Yueya meet in Dunhuang and fall in love. However, Yueya's father looks down upon poor Mo and cannot accept their love. He even forces Yueya to marry the son of a high official.

Yueya flees to find Mo in a grotto where he is devoted to painting. Yueya's father commands troops to surround the grotto and threatens them -- Yueya commits suicide to again save Mo. The father is finally moved by her death and their love.

After dying, Yueya turns into a spring while Mo continues painting the murals with a brush dipped in water from the spring.

Veteran choreographer Chen Weiya has created impressive dance numbers for the drama. The show starts with a powerful group dance of shining spears and armored horses featuring great military prestige.

Liu Zhen, starring as Mo, performs the most acclaimed solo dance in the show after Yueya's death. Mo is so depressed he devotes all of his love to continue his painting.

In addition, the pas de deux of Mo and Yueya (performed by Tian Qing) displays high-level techniques of Chinese dance as well as strong emotion.

Chen, vice-director of the China Song and Dance Company, is famous for his choreography experience in gala shows, which includes his cooperation with renowned director Zhang Yimou in the opera Turandot in Italy in 1996 and the Forbidden City on site production in 1997.

Set designer Gao Guangjian and light designer Sha Xiaolan, who were also involved in the production of Turandot with Chen, are part of the team for the upcoming dance drama.

(China Daily January 7, 2003)