Tour Dates: 28 Jun - 10 July, 2012

Red Cliff is one of the most widely known stories from the ancient work of Chinese literature called "The Legend of Three Kingdoms".

Tour Dates: 28 Jun - 10 July, 2012

Red Cliff is one of the most widely known stories from the ancient work of Chinese literature called "The Legend of Three Kingdoms". From the stage to the big screen and back, the tale has been retold through various art forms over and over again, while never losing its charm. The production by the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) has performed nearly 50 sold-out shows around the country, winning critical acclaim for its soul-stirring arias, abundant and aesthetic stage design. NCPA has become the largest and the most modernized national-level performing arts center with brisk artistic creation and production.

Red Cliff tells the story of a well known battle during the period of the Three Kingdoms, around 200 AD. It is a familiar tale to all Chinese: Founder of the Shu Kingdom Liu Bei and founder of Wu Kingdom Sun Quan allied to defeat the mighty warlord Cao Cao. The decisive battle took place at Red Cliff, where Cao's army was defeated and forced to withdraw to the North.

The National Center for the Performing Arts and the Beijing Opera House Troupe collaborated on this production, hence, offering a strong cast that includes the country's top performers, as well as a first rate team for stage and costume design. The story was adapted by Cai Fuchao, a famous play writer, while Zhang Jigang, choreographer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics ceremonies, directed the play. For Zhang Jigang, who is originally more acquainted to the field of dance, it was a premiere to direct a Peking opera.

Unlike traditional Peking opera in which the props mainly include a table and two chairs, director Zhang and stage designer Gao Guangjian created an abundant set lending from Western opera conventions. Following the idea that Peking opera should be subject to gradual development along with technical achievements, meeting the "Zeitgeist", Zhang and Gao strived to enrich the stage design by adapting visual and audio effects from the film genre to the requirements of a stage set.

The result of integrating a variety of new art forms into this production shows its effects in form of an increased interest from a young audience. Therewith the production manages to live-up to NCPA's foremost aim of reviving Chinese stage art in a modern context and foster the understanding of the young generation towards China's cultural heritage.

Beijing Opera Theatre

Established in the early spring of 1979, the Beijing Opera Theatre is home to numerous talented performers over the past decades. These performers include the "Four Famous Dans" (artists who represent or impersonate themselves as female characters) Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng, and the "Five Most Acclaimed Performers" Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Zhang Junqiu, Qiu Shengrong and Zhao Yanxia.

The Beijing Opera Theatre is one of the largest and most prestigious Peking Opera performance groups in China. It is directly affiliated to the Beijing municipal government and enjoys an incomparable status in domestic opera performance. With a large repertoire of traditional and modern productions, the group has made remarkable achievements inheriting and developing the art of Peking Opera.