Chinese choreographers began serious attempts at creating dance dramas and ballet only after the founding of New China in 1949.

They started off on two different tracks. One group incorporated stylized dance movements of traditional Chinese operas into the dramatic format of classical Western ballets.

The other group filled a dance drama or a ballet with as many folk dance numbers as possible, making full use of folk collections they accumulated during their travels in rural and mountainous regions across the country. Most of the dances either portray flowers and animals or depict country scenes in which farmers till the land, fishermen said the seas or herdsmen tend their cattle and sheep.

Chinese choreographers turned to themes and subject matters that would allow them to explore human aspirations and disappointments, love and hate, and especially the inner minds of the protagonists. They also make use of dance idioms not only from classical and folk Chinese dances but also from modern dance.

In contrast, choreographers away from major metropolises in the country have sought inspiration from ancient murals and sculptures, and created new dance idioms and new dramas based on history and legends. The efforts, much to the delight of foreign tourists, have resulted in the growth of classicism in the dance circles across the county. So however tourists go, they can often be entertained with variety shows or dramas bringing alive, for instance, the terra-cotta warriors, the flying fairies painted upon the murals of sculpted in caves, or even Confucius.

Meanwhile, a number of younger choreographers have developed folk dance idioms to depict lives of rural people in a realistic style. This trend has caught on with many audiences, especially in the northern part of the country.

Synopses

Banping Mountain (Banpingshan, 1979) -- Produced by the Shanghai Dance Drama and opera Theatre, the five-scene dance drama retells the legend of the romance between a young woman, Shiping, and a young fisherman, Shuigen, who live at the foot of a mountain. Their marriage so enraged a powerful sea devil that he cuts the mountain in two and pours sea water into the huge valley to create the Taiwan Straits, and separate the newlyweds. Longing for reunion, Shiping climbs the split mountain to wait for her husband and gradually turns into a stone statue. The dance drama is one of the representative works in the theatre's repertoire. Directing and choreography by Bai Shui, Li Qun and Xie Lierong; script by Liu Run; music by Zhu Xiaogu and Zhou Deming.

Episode on the Silk Road (Si Lu Hua Yu, 1979) -- Produced by the Gansu Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, the six-scene dance drama features the prosperity and trade along the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It tells the story of the friendship between a Chinese artists, his daughter and a Persian merchant. The drama, with a distinctive score featuring classical Chinese musical elements, is best noted for its choreography. The idioms are largely drawn from the ancient murals now kept at the famous Dunhuang Grottoes in Northwest China's Gansu Province. The drama, made into a film in 1982, is often performed during peak tourist seasons in Lanzhou, capital of the Gansu Province by the Song and Dance Troupe and also in Beijing, by the Song and Dance Troupe affiliated with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. Music by Han Zhongcai, Hu Yan and Xiao Kai; choreography by Liu Shaoxiong, Zhang Qiang, Xu Qi, An Jianzhong.

Flying to the moon (Ben Yue, 1962) -- Produced by the Shanghai Song and Dance Treatre, the dance drama, based on two popular Chinese fairy tales, depicts the romance between Chang E, an ancient beauty and Hou Yi, a courageous young man who shoot down eight suns out of the nine to rescue humans from being scorched to death. Jealous of Hou Yi's power, some evil forces spread rumours about Chang E's alleged infidelity and make Chang E drink a kind of medicine that sends her away to the moon. The choreography combines both modern ballet and classical Chinese court dances and music. The dance drama was premiered in 1962, and was later revised in1979. Some of the dance numbers still appear in variety shows in Shanghai. Music by Shang Yi; choreography by Shu Qiao and Zhong Lin.

New Year's Sacrifice, The (Zhu Fu, 1980) -- Produced by the Central Ballet of China, the full-length ballet retells the story in its full original version by the great literary master Lu Xun. Sister Xianglin is forced to marry a man whom she never meets after her first husband dies. Later, her second husband dies of an illness and her son is killed by a wolf. Believing in the feudal preaching that women who lose husbands will be punished in hell after death, she tries to make amends. After being refused to be allowed to pay her dues during New Year celebrations, she finally dies of a broken heart. The ballet, now in the Central Ballet of China's repertoire, is distinguished for its choreography, especially a few of the pas de deux which have been used as selected numbers by Chinese dancers in international competitions and festivals, and are occasionally performed in variety shows in major national celebrations. Directed and choreographed by Jiang Zuhui.

Red Detachment of Women, The (Hongse Niangzi Jun, 1964) -- Produced by the Central Ballet of China, the six-act ballet deals with a Communist-led company of women on Hainan Island during the civil war in the early 1930s. It shows the liberation of a peasant slave girl, who becomes a member of the Communist Party and finally the leader of the company. The work, together with the ballet 'The White-Haired Girl,' reflects the Chinese mastery of Western ballet idioms in telling a Chinese story. Its music, which is occasionally played in concerts and over the radio, also won critical acclaim for its dramatic portrayal of the female soldiers and their male leader, Hong Changqing. The ballet, now in the permanent repertoire of the Central Ballet of China, was made into a film in 1972, and a few of the pas de deux and pas de trois occasionally appear in variety shows. Music by Wu Zuqiang, Du Mingxin, Wang Yanqiao, Shi Wanchun and Dai Hongcheng; choreography by Li Chengxiang, Jiang Zuhui and Wang Xixian.

Romeo and Juliet (Luomi'ou Yu Zhuliye,1990) -- Produced by the Central Ballet of China (CBC), the full-length Western ballet is an adaptation of the great Shakespearian tragedy. The ballet shows the attempt of American choreographer Norman Walker at integration of both classical and modern Western ballet idioms. It is now one of the seven full-length Western ballet in the CBC's repertoire. Choreographed and directed by Norman Walker to the music by Serge Prokofiev.

White-Haired Girl, The (Bai Maonu, 1965) -- Premiered by the Shanghai Dance Academy in 1965, the eight-act ballet is an adaptation of the Chinese opera of the name that premiered in 1945.It tells of a peasant girl, Xi'er, whose father is beaten to death by the local despotic landlord because he is unable to pay his debts. She is taken by force to work in the landlord's home and she finally escapes into the mountain forest. Her finance joins the Eighth Route Army and returns three years later to liberate the village and rescue the girl. By then, Xi'er has endured such suffering that her long black hair turns white. She is found in a cave by her fiance. The dance number are basically Western ballet, while the music was mainly developed from the original Chinese opera. The orchestra for the accompaniment combines both traditional Chinese and classical Western instruments. The ballet is now one of the standard works in the repertoire of the Shanghai Ballet. Music by Yan Jinxuan; choreography and script by the Shanghai Dance Academy; orchestration by Chen Benhong, Zhang Hongxiang and Chen Xieyang.