2016-06-12 10:40:51 Source: Netease Art News

In order to carry forward the spirit of the Silk Road, deeply excavate the essence of the Silk Road culture, and promote the development of the "The Belt and Road" strategic conception, presented by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television Press and Publication, produced by Beijing Music Bridge Culture Communication Co. Ltd. and performed by Qingdao Performing Arts Group to implement the "Belt and Road" national strategy of the latest masterpiece, the dance drama "Fa Xian", met with the audience in Beijing yesterday and won wide acclaim.

The play was presented by Qingdao Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television Press and Publication, produced by Beijing Music Bridge Culture Communication Company, and performed by Qingdao Performing Arts Group. The creative team of the play brings together famous artists: Artistic Director Zhao Ji Ping, General Director Yang Fengliang, scriptwriter Zhao Daming, Music Director and Composer Zhao Lin, Dance Director Liu Bin, Choreographer Zhang Wu, Lighting Designer Wang Qi, Costume Designer Tao Lei, Multimedia Designer Gu Zhigang, Stylist Wang Ting, Sound Designer Chen Qing. Many famous artists and industry leaders have come together to create the audiovisual feast "Fa Xian" after two years of joint efforts.

Recreating the journey of Fa Xian, a senior monk in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, in his quest for Buddhism

In 399 A.D., the Eastern Jin monk Fa Xian, lamenting the lack of Buddhist laws at that time, set out from Chang ’an at the age of 65, and after 14 years and more than 30 countries, traveling about 50,000 miles, Obtained Buddhist scriptures and returned to China Central Plains by sea, finally landing at Laoshan in Qingdao after all the hardships. After his return to China, Fa Xian wrote the "A record of Buddhistic kingdoms" based on his experience of seeking Dharma, and devoted himself to translating sutras for the rest of his life until his death.

The dance drama "Fa Xian" is based on what is written in the "A record of Buddhistic kingdoms" and takes his real sea experience during his return journey, and uses moving music, dance vocabulary and wonderful stage performance to tell the story of the arduous journey of Fa Xian, an eminent monk of the generation. From the exotic port of Sumatra to the idyllic poetic scroll of the Central Plains, the work uses a journey to reflect the life of the eminent monk FA Xian's persistent pursuit of Dharma, and focuses on his strong spiritual strength and rich inner feelings, highlighting his tough faith and broad-minded, which is also the "spirit of FA Xian" to be displayed and spread in this play.

Carry forward the Silk Road spirit of fortitude and perseverance

As the first pioneer of cultural exchange through the two Silk Roads on land and at sea, Fa Xian's persistence and perseverance in his quest for scripture are worthy of being passed down for generations, and this is precisely the spirit of the Silk Road that we need to vigorously promote at present, as well as the essence of the excellent Chinese traditional culture. At the same time, Fa Xian's journey of seeking Dharma is also a testimony to the exchange and integration of traditional Chinese culture with the cultures of other countries in the world, and promoting Fa Xian's spirit can deepen people's recognition of the construction of the "The Belt and Road" strategic concept.

Therefore, the original intention of the dance drama "Fa Xian" is to show all the most incisive spirit of Fa Xian on the stage, promote the essence of Silk Road culture and spread the unique charm of excellent Chinese traditional culture.

A splendid stage art feast the creative team of the play

The creative team of the drama created this work with reverence for the legendary experience of the eminent monk Fa Xian, with strict reference to historical materials, and in accordance with historical records, and through solid dramatic structure to express the Fa Xian’s spiritual world, striving to externalize the "spirit of Fa Xian" and achieve a high degree of unity between content and form.

In order to deepen the dramatic conflict, the plot of the dance drama is set on the big boat of Fa Xian's return to China. The creative team mainly uses modern dance performance, stage art and lighting, multimedia video to divide the time and space area, so that the monk Fa Xian's stormy voyage to his homeland and his life of perseverance in seeking Dharma unfold on the stage, establishing a convincing and vivid image of the eminent monk for the audience.

The play has a compact plot, beautiful music, stunning music, rich and wonderful dance elements, simple and generous stage design, and unique costume styling, making it a rare and excellent play embodying the representative figures of the Silk Road in recent years.

After the premiere in Beijing, the play will be performed in Qingdao Grand Theatre on July 29 and 30, and then start a national tour.