From August 27^th to 29^th, NCPA dance drama commission The Railway to Tibet will begin its 10^th round of performances in the Opera House. The realistic dance drama, based on the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, a key project implemented during the Reform and Opening-up, will feature outstanding young dancers active on the Chinese dance drama stage, including PAN Yongchao, LI Xiaohui and ZENG Ming. For the first time, the Ningbo Song and Dance Theatre has joined the NCPA for the joint production to deliver a virtuoso performance to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

NCPA dance drama commission The Railway to Tibet will begin its 10^th round of performances

In 2018, the NCPA produced the dance drama commission The Railway to Tibet with great fanfare in order to mark the 40^th anniversary of the Beginning of the Reform and Opening-up and the 12^th anniversary of the openness of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to traffic. Premiering at the NCPA on July 1^st, the drama tells a touching story from a Chinese-Tibetan perspective about warm-hearted builders from the railway corps and local Tibetans, strange to and vigilant against each other at first, becoming united as one and concentrating their efforts over construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

The drama tells a touching tale about warm-hearted builders from the railway corps and local Tibetans

Owing to its high-quality production and good reputation, the drama has been an excellent representative of Chinese dance drama commissions since its premiere, and has won numerous awards. In 2018, the drama received financial support from the Beijing Culture and Arts Fund, and was invited to the Opening Ceremony of the 12^th China Dance Festival by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, National Excellent Realistic Dance & Stage Art Festival, and etc. In 2019, the drama received financial support from the China National Arts Fund, and was shortlisted for the 2019 National Project to the Distillation of the Stage Art as a key work, winning Wenhua Award, the highest prize from the government. In 2021, the drama was included in “A Hundred Masterpieces for A Hundred Years” Creation Programme as a key stage art work to “celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of the Founding of the CPC”, and selected for the 6^th National Theatrical Festival for Minority Nationalities.

The Railway to Tibet has been an excellent representative of Chinese dance drama commissions since its premiere

This time, The Railway to Tibet is headed to its 10^th round of performances. The NCPA has invited outstanding young dancers active in the Chinese dance scene, including PAN Yongchao, LI Xiaohui, ZENG Ming, SONG Yulong and HOU Xin, to play starring roles. They acted wonderfully in the past rounds of performance of The Railway to Tibet. The Ningbo Song and Dance Theatre, whose signature work Mulan is a winner of Lotus Award, has joined the NCPA this time for the joint production. More than 40 dancers their preparations several months ago to present the drama resoundingly before the audience.