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Rain of Flowers Along the Silk Road

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Flower Rains Along the Silk Road (simplified Chinese: 丝路花雨; traditional Chinese: 絲路花雨; pinyin: Sī lù huā yǔ)

Synopsis

A drama in six acts, Flower Rains along the Silk Road follows the artist Zhang and his daughter Yingniang, who reunite after several years apart. Reuniting in Dunhuang, Zhang gains fame for painting frescoes in the Mogao Caves. The two also establish a friendship with a Persian caravan that travelled to the city along the Silk Road. However, after Zhang refuses to marry his daughter to the ruler of Dunhuang, he is imprisoned in the caves. After a dream sequence, he is freed, after which he attempts unsuccessfully to stop the ruler's machinations. Yingniang ultimately reveals the misdeeds through a dance performance. The Silk Road secured, the Persians and Chinese part as friends.

Production

Preparation for Flower Rains Along the Silk Road began in June 1978, when a group of artists were commissioned to create a new dance drama by the Gansu branch of the Chinese Communist Party. Initial choreography and scenario preparation continued through July, with the basic structure ready in August 1978. Developed after the end of the Cultural Revolution, the story was intended as an overture of friendship and China's intent to re-establish diplomatic ties with other countries; it was also one of several

The story was penned by Zhao Zhixun, with choreography handled by Liu Shaoxiong, Xu Qi, Yan Jianzhong, Zhang Qiang, and Zhu Jiang. Set design was done by Yang Qian, with Hao Hanyi responsible for costumes and Yang Shuyun for makeup.

Rehearsals for the show began in February 1979.

Performance history

Flower Rains Along the Silk Road was debuted on 23 May 1979. It was performed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that October as part of National Day festivities. Audiences included national leaders such as Deng Xiaoping and Ye Jianying, as well as Chinese celebrities and foreign dignitaries. Subsequent performances were staged for the Central Guard Bureau and the Beijing Military Region.

International performances of Flower Rains Along the Silk Road began in 1979, with stagings in Hong Kong drawing praise; the show was brought to North Korea two years later. Since then, performances have been recorded in more than twenty countries, including at La Scala in Milan, Italy, as well as in France, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States.

The story has been updated several times, with new versions performed in 2008 and 2016; another version is designed specifically for performance for tourists. According to China Daily, as of 2019 the show had been staged almost three thousand times, with 300 million renminbi generated in revenue and 4.5 million tickets sold.

Flower Rains Along the Silk Road was granted the First Outstanding Repertory Opera Award by the Ministry of Culture in 2009.

References

  1. ^ National Digital Culture Network of China, 2003.
  2. ^ Kuang 2016.
  3. ^ China Daily, 2019-11-21.
  4. China Daily, 2019-11-21; Kuang 2016

Works cited