On the evening of September 29^th, as the curtain rose at the Opera House, railway tracks stretched across the stage and steam whistles pierced the air. The title Railway Guerrilla lit up once again, transporting the audience back to those fiery years of heroism and legend on the railway lines of southern Shandong.

On the eve of National Day, the NCPA and the Beijing Dance Academy present a reimagined version of the classic dance drama Railway Guerrilla, paying tribute to heroes and celebrating the spirit of the era in an even more polished production.

The new version reunites the original creative team from the 2010 production — Music Director ZHAO Jiping, Playwright ZHAO Daming, and Composer ZHAO Lin — joined by a host of leading artists including Chief Director TIAN Lu and Visual Director REN Dongsheng. The cast features dancers from the NCPA BDA Youth Dance Troupe and the Department of Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dance of Beijing Dance Academy.

This run marks a comprehensive upgrade in artistic expression, stage presentation, and emotional resonance. With its taut dramatic structure, rich and authentic folk dance language, and deeply moving storytelling, the new Railway Guerrilla brings a timeless revolutionary classic vividly to life for contemporary audiences. The four-act narrative builds with mounting intensity — from the guerrillas rallying in thrilling heroism and the raid that brought a bloody reckoning to the foreign firm, to their steadfast unity against the Japanese invaders and a legend sweeping across the land. Yet it gives way to the profound sorrow of bonds between soldiers and civilians, to the martyrs’ unyielding spirit, before rising to an unforgettable legacy passed down through generations — stirring, sublime, and enduring. With each passing act, the production awakens a collective memory of that revolutionary past in the hearts of the audience, striking a powerful emotional chord.

The expressionistic stage imagery of “steel and blood” interweaves with the folk dance rhythms of Shandong, lifting the work into a realm of revolutionary romantic grandeur. The twisting and grinding movements of Jiaozhou Yangge, the robust vigor of Guzi Yangge, and the uninhibited exuberance of Haiyang Yangge find full expression in the dancers’ bodies.

On stage, this world springs to life as the guerrillas leap onto moving trains, seize weapons, and break through enemy encirclement — as suspense mounts and danger escalates, they fight to the death where love and war intertwine. When crimson light floods the stage, fallen bodies merge with the silhouettes of railway tracks, and that blood-forged heroic history races across time like a speeding train. The visceral power of “steel and blood” moves many in the audience to tears. The emotion lingers long after the curtain falls — the dance drama will continue its run through October 3^rd.