Imagine colorful ink paintings, Chinese traditional dances, and a tea ceremony from the Song Dynasty -- all together at one stage.

 

At the Shanghai Expo, the stage show "Shi Fang" brings this unique oriental performance to life.

Entitled "Shi Fang", this series of Chinese stage show began its world tour at the Expo Centre on Friday. The aim is to pay tribute to Chinese traditional culture. The performances showcase various Chinese arts, music, totems, and tea culture dating back to one-thousand years ago.

The name of “Shi Fang” signifies ten orientations of the universe such as up, down, east, west, south, and north. It presents the infinite space in the Buddhist belief as well as the life cycles during the four seasons.

An Expo visitor said, "I feel peaceful after watching the show. The whole performance combines many oriental elements such as calligraphy, sword-dances, and music instruments. It reflects the life process of human beings through the high-tech.

Eight independent sound channels are used to give audience members a feeling of being immersed in the peak age of ancient history. And displayed on the giant LED screen, colorful ink paintings are also highlighted. These 12 pieces of art works are designed by renowned Chinese painter Xu Yanting. The artist showcases various flowers while incorporating the oriental freehand style and the western color techniques.

"Shi Fang" also sees the tea of Song Dynasty enjoying its revival as a tea ceremony. The ancient rite of making tea is staged at the end of the performance.