Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting

“The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting” is a poetic dance drama divided into seven chapters, including “Unfolding the Scroll”, “Tracing the Seal”, “Reeling the Silk”, “Pursuing the Stone”, “Making the Brush”, “Grinding the Ink” and “Into the Painting”.The show tells the story of a modern-day cultural relic researcher who, on the eve of the exhibition of A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains (千里江山图), delves deeply into the inner world of the Northern Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng.Transported back 900 years, the researcher witnesses the young artist’s dedication as he collaborates with countless artisans to create this timeless scroll. Through movement and visual staging, the production brings to life the grandeur of China’s landscapes and bridges past and present. Since its debut in August 2021 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting has rapidly become a cultural phenomenon. The production has toured over 70 cities and traveled internationally to places like Singapore and Turkey, with more than 600 performances, each met with packed audiences and tickets in high demand. It has earned multiple prestigious awards, including China’s highest prize for the arts—the 17th Wenhua Award. The show’s popularity surged nationwide, sparking as “the action of Green” after it was featured on CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala, reaching an audience of over 8 billion viewers. In October 2024, The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting was also adapted into a film and a symphonic concert, using multiple artistic forms to elevate Chinese aesthetics to new heights.