Seven dances including The Soul of Terracotta Warriors, Mulan's Coming Home, Farewell, My Concubine and Love and Hate in Yuanmingyuan Garden were presented as one show, to the delight of Chen Weiya's fans. The famous choreographer and director proved once again that he is a master at reinvigorating and reinterpreting historical dance. Under his creative direction, these ancient Chinese stories were reborn as contemporary masterpieces.

Green Grassland, inspired by Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, is the only modern piece in Chen Weiya's showcase. Friday's performance marked its debut on the Beijing stage.

Chen Weiya said, "I created Green Grassland in 1993 and it debuted in Hong Kong. When I first heard the Rite of Spring, one of the representative works of 20th Century modern music, I had the impulse to make it a dance drama. I try to express human being's seeking the ideal through combining music and dance."

For those fans of Chen Weiya who missed Friday's show, don't despair. The choreographer/director is presenting his other well-known dance drama Dunhuang Dreams on Sunday night.

(CCTV.com March 29, 2004)