South Korea, China's closest neighbor, is hitting the Chinese capital with an explosion of culture. Dasom Dance Company, one of the biggest of its kind in South Korea, brought its large-scale dance Four Seasons to Beijing's Tianqiao Theatre on Friday night.

Since romantic melodramas from South Korea play well with Chinese audiences, the dance Four Seasons already had a willing audience. It's a story about life, hope, happiness and love. Composed of four chapters representing Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, the whole performance is more like an aesthetic poem. Its aim is to make imaginations soar.

The dance was so highly hailed in the country that part of it was performed during the opening ceremony of the 2002 World Cup.

Jo Hoonil, lead dancer of Four Seasons, said, "The dance is a refection of human life. The four seasons can represent everything a person experiences from the cradle to the grave. Every one, a South Korean or a Chinese, expects a colorful and fulfilled life. "

The night also offered South Korean traditional dances. So they prove to not only be dance innovators, but faithful successors of tradition as well.

With many awards under their belt, the Dasom Dance Company has toured numerous countries and garnered a lot praise for their creative choreography.

(CCTV July 21, 2004)