Date and Time

Sept. 14th (Thur) - 15th (Fri) 8 pm

Venue

Shenzhen Poly Theatre

Synopsis 

Prelude

In a boundless field, Jia Baoyu sets out on the path to retirementfrom the material world. The past lives of the girls from the GrandView Garden appear as souls of flowers, flying around him likewraiths. He could almost see the preincarnations of himself andLin Daiyu -- Deity Shenying and Fairy Crimson Pearl – dancingwith affection. 

Act I Scene I

Under Baoyu’s gaze, the past prosperity of the Rong Mansionreappears. It is grand and prosper.

The little boy Baoyu is the star of the family. Accompanied only bythe sound of oars and the light of the moon, the little girl Lin Daiyuhas traveled through courtyards and winding corridors. At the firstsight of the two little ones, it seems that they remembers the banksof the Sacred River, where Fairy Crimson Pearl fell so deeply in lovewith Deity Shenying... 

Act I Scene II

In the room attached to Grandma Jia’s, little Lin Daiyu and littleJia Baoyu grow up together. Innocent and intimate, they areinseparable childhood friends. Everyone welcomes little XueBaochai who comes to join the family. The gold lock hanging onXue Baochai’s breast seems to match the jade lock on JiaBaoyu’s. Daiyu feels sad and lonely. Baoyu could not satisfy bothof the girls. 

Act I Scene III

Jia Baoyu has been instructed by his father to read books. Hebegins to yawn and soon falls asleep. He feels a deep love, and theburden that comes with it. The time flys, Imperial Concubine Yuan,who was Jia Baoyu’s sister and had married into the imperialfamily, appears. This represents a moment of the highest glory forthe family. 

Act I Scene IV

Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu reads the book Romance of the WestChamber together. They tasted the first love and the melancholycomes with it.

A butterfly flies over; Xue Baochai is chasing after it. Flowersbloom in the Grand View Garden. The girls are as blooming andfree as the flowers. Jia Baoyu is like a butterfly in the sea of flow-ers, playing merrily with the girls.

Yet Lin Daiyu feels pity for the withered flower petals. She buriesthem as a way to commemorate their life:
Can I, who these flowers’ obsequies attend, Know how soon myown life will end?

Let others mock this flower funeral.

In another year who will be the one to bury me? 

Act II Scene I

Baoyu gathered his friends and his rebellious acts enrage hisfather Jia Zheng, who punishes Jia Baoyu in the hope of “makinghim good.” Lin Daiyu pitys Baoyu with her heart aching. Baoyudelivers a handkerchief. Daiyu knows what he means, “pouring outthe depths of her love through the tip of her pen.” 

Act II Scene II

At night in the Yihong Courtyard, everyone is celebrating Baoyu’sbirthday. Ignoring the hierarchies, unrestrained and euphoric, asthough celebrating the last of their youth.

Outside the Yihong Courtyard, Jia Mansion is being searchedunder an official order. Under the sad and fearful atmosphere,another bad news strikes - Imperial Concubine Yuan has passedaway. Overwhelmed, Jia Baoyu laughs in misery. He has lost hisjade and his sanity at one and the same time. 

Act II Scene III

To rescue Jia Baoyu, Wang Xifeng suggests let him marry XueBaochai to help him return to normal. To the sound of the weddingmusic, Jia Baoyu smiles at his bride in her red bridal veil. At thesame time, Lin Daiyu is burning all her poems in sorrow and anger.Jia Baoyu lifts the bridal veil only to find it is not his dream bride LinDaiyu. He runs away in madness... 

Epilogue

Jia Baoyu walks alone in the boundless field with the souls offlowers flying around him like wraiths. He meets the people whosefate intertwined with him again in his dream, and bids a solemnfarewell to each of them. It has all been no more than a dream, butthe moment of love in the dream becomes eternal. 

Artist Lineup

National Ballet of China 

National Ballet of China was founded in December of 1959. All of National Ballet of China’s outstanding artists come from professional academies. During decades of care and support from all social sectors, the company has never ceased enriching its solid Russian foundations with works of different schools and styles. The company’s repertoire includes classics like Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, Carmen, Onegin, Firebird, The Little Mermaid, La Bayadère, Cinderella and Jewels as well as original creations like The Red Detachment of Women, The New Year Sacrifice, Yellow River, Raise the Red Lantern, The Peony Pavilion, Chinese New Year (The Nutcracker Chinese Version), The Crane Calling, The Light of Heart and The Nine-Colored Deer. By both performing Western ballets and creating works of its own with distinct national characteristics, the company has found a successful path for the development of Chinese ballet. It is fusing the classical and the modern, and cultures from all over the world. 

For more than 60 years, the company is proud to have made great achievements in talent training and stage productions, as well as in ballet promotion and education. Numerous ballet dancers, choreographers,musicians and stage artists have won major international awards, and have collaborated with international stars in their respective fields. The company has a repertoire of more than 200 ballets, several of which are now known as classic Chinese works of art, and have become famous internationally.

As a world-renowned company with great international influence, the National Ballet of China serves as a cultural envoy and an important window to the nation, spreading the essence of Chinese culture. Meanwhile, it also endeavors to present high-class performances to the Chinese audience, and to promote the art form in universities, communities and among children. In accordance with their motto “United, Pragmatic, Independent, and Enterprising”, the company members are following the steps of their hard-working predecessors to make great strides in realization of their dreams. Currently, Feng Ying, a well-known ballerina and ballet mistress in China is the Executive Director and the Artistic Director.