Dance drama "Harmony in Eternal Melody" to showcase Jing-Chu cultural splendour at Chinese Culture Festival 2026 in September (with photos)
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The production seamlessly weaves refined dance narratives with contemporary stage arts to recreate the mystical and sublime ancient Chu-style aesthetics, taking the audience across two millennia to experience the profound heritage of the Jing-Chu culture and Chinese civilisation. This critically acclaimed production was selected as a funded project of the National Arts Fund 2025 under the large-scale stage play and work creation category, and won the 18th Wenhua Award for Music.
Suspenseful dance drama showcasing splendid epic
This alternative-history dance drama is set against the backdrop of the ancient Chu culture during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It tells the story of how the He state grows powerful through quests. Envoys of the Yue state present a set of chime bells to the new ruler, He Cheng, who ascends the throne, hoping to end wars and restore peace. Then a sudden tragedy strikes: the queen mother is murdered, the chime bells are shattered, He Cheng is blinded, and General Ge Qi usurps absolute power in the chaos. He Cheng and the court musician Xi Yin support each other in the abyss. At a sacred ritual prior to the army's deployment and a fierce duel between He Cheng and Ge Qi, Xi Yin's true identity is unveiled, crafting a splendid epic story of harmony arising from a tumultuous era of political strife.
Chu-style dance blending vigour and grace
The choreography embodies the classic Chu dance tradition, defined by a seamless blend of vigour and grace. Audiences will marvel at the Chu-style movements of "fluttering sleeves and bending waists", the ethereal female group dance featuring bianmian (concealing face-fans), and the powerful male group dance depicting the valiant spirit of Chu warriors heading to battle. Sacred totems including the phoenix, crane, deer and leopard are brought to life through expressive physical movements, evoking an extraordinarily imaginative mythological realm. Furthermore, the choreography infuses elements of the ancient Wunuo culture (a primitive Chinese shamanic and exorcistic culture), integrating exorcism ritual movements with a contemporary dance vocabulary to breathe vibrant new life into the millennium-old Chu culture through fluid movement.
Stunning replica of ritual music relics
On stage, a meticulous 1:1 replica of the Warring States period's "Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng" and the "Tiger-base Phoenix-frame Hanging Drum" - both treasured relics from the Hubei Provincial Museum collection - creates an imposing atmosphere of Chu ritual music, and with bamboo slips set design paired with multidimensional projections and advanced sound technology, drawing the audience deep into the characters' inner worlds. The resonant and powerful sound effects that mimic ancient bronze chime bells mingle with the haunting chants of "Chu Ci" ("The Songs of Chu", an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry from the Warring States period), demonstrating the timeless power of classical literature. The costume design predominantly employs black and red to reflect the Chu people's fire worship and heighten the bleak, solemn atmosphere of war. The makeup incorporates the "fair-skinned and dark-eyebrowed" style favoured by Chu women, alongside the distinctive Chu-style side topknots. Through this modern stage presentation, traditional heritage comes alive.
Top-tier team and exquisite dancing
The production brings together a top-tier creative team from the Chinese Mainland, helmed by the Chief Director, Wang Ge, a national first-class director and three-time winner of the Wenhua Award, alongside the President of the Beijing Dance Academy, Xu Rui, as playwright. The music is composed by Yang Fan, a young composer famed for his scores in dance dramas "The Eternal Wave" and "Wing Chun". The stage set and lighting designs are masterfully crafted by national first-class designers Qin Liyun and Ren Dongsheng respectively. The cast features talented young dancers Guo Yaolin, Wu Sinong and Lin Huiting portraying King He Cheng, the court musician Xi Yin and General Ge Qi respectively. Sharing the stage with dancers of the Hubei Opera and Dance Drama Theater and the Hubei College of the Arts, they will deliver an exquisite performance that delicately interprets the emotional struggles and inner worlds of their characters.
Affiliated with the Hubei Provincial Performing Arts Group, the Hubei Opera and Dance Drama Theater has dedicated over half a century to exploring Jing-Chu cultural themes, creating and performing more than 50 acclaimed works. Its distinguished repertoire includes the classical music-and-dance productions "Bianzhong Music and Dance" and "Bell Resounds in Chu Heaven", as well as the dance drama "Wang Zhaojun", all of which have garnered numerous national awards. Among them, "Wang Zhaojun" won the Special Wenhua Award in 2012, while "Bianzhong Music and Dance", hailed as a "musical and dance epic", has been designated a national repertoire work for international cultural exchange.
"City Under the Moon - Dance Drama 'Harmony in Eternal Melody' by Hubei Opera and Dance Drama Theater" will be held at 7.30pm on September 18 and 19 (Friday and Saturday) at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC). Tickets priced at $220, $280, $340, $420 and $500 are available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. The CCF offers various discount schemes, such as group booking discounts, package booking discounts and the newly introduced "Generations Together 1+1" discount. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7323 or visit www.ccf.gov.hk/en/programme/city-under-the-moon-dance-drama-harmony-in-eternal-melody-by-hubei-opera-and-dance-drama-theater.
The programme will feature a dance workshop (conducted in Putonghua) in which participants will get a taste of the dance movements from the dance drama guided by the dancers to experience the unique style of Chu dance. The workshop will be held at 4pm on September 17 (Thursday) at GR1, 6/F, Backstage, Grand Theatre, HKCC. Tickets priced at $220 are now available at URBTIX. For details, please refer to the above-mentioned website.
The programme will also feature a session under the "Chinese Culture for All: A Special Performance Series", with an open rehearsal to be held at 2.15pm on September 18 at the Grand Theatre of the HKCC. Admission is free for local primary and secondary school students to encourage them to participate in cultural activities and experience the wonders of Chinese culture and arts. This session is sponsored by the Paso a Paso Foundation Limited.
The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public's sense of national identity and cultural confidence, thereby facilitating patriotic education. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from the Chinese Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. This year's CCF is held from June to September. For more information, please visit www.ccf.gov.hk.
Ends/Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:00
Issued at HKT 11:00
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