Light Before the Dawn, a scene from Road of Rejuvenation, has 621 dancers on stage and portrays the Chinese people's struggles in the 1920s. [Jiang Dong]

Last summer at the National Stadium, China presented an extravagant Olympics Opening Ceremony that showcased its 5,000 years of history and the rich tapestry of the Chinese civilization.

This fall, some 3,200 performers will gather at the Great Hall of the People for a re-telling of China's contemporary history since 1840.

Road of Rejuvenation is the third epic gala to celebrate the National Day, after East Is Red (1965) that celebrated the 15th anniversary of the founding of New China, and Road of Chinese Revolution (1985) that celebrated the 35th anniversary. But Road of Rejuvenation is quite unlike the other two.

The 2.5-hour-long performance follows a timeline divided into five parts: 1840 to 1921 when China was invaded by Western countries and people lived miserable lives; 1921 to 1949 under the leadership of the Communist Party, when the Chinese people fought bloody battles in civil wars, and in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and finally founded New China; 1949 to 1978, when Chinese people worked hard to build the new country; 1978 to 2008, when with the opening-up and reforms, China made great progress in every aspect. The last section focuses on the year 2009, characterized by a booming economy, a flourishing culture and a harmonious society.

All five segments are presented in the most romantic, symbolic and artistic fashion.

For example, just as you brace yourself for a typical "revolutionary" dance, you are presented with soft, graceful Kunqu Opera.

In the first section Oration for the Mountains and Rivers, which was the only part unveiled to the press, the imperial family and high officials of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) are enjoying The Peony Pavilion in the Old Summer Palace. All of a sudden, the beautiful Kunqu melody is rudely interrupted.

The heavy and mournful tune rises above the sharp sounds of shattering glasses, as the foreign powers attack the gardens, loot precious relics and kill mercilessly, till the officials bow and scrape to sign unjust treaties, ceding territory and paying indemnities. Then, as one grief-stricken man reads out a poem, hundreds of young men perform a powerful but heart-breaking dance that portrays the Chinese people's awakening and struggle.

Director Zhang Jigang tells China Daily why the show is so unlike the previous ones, during the rehearsal on Sunday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People.

"I know what immediately comes to people's minds when you refer to a revolutionary epic to celebrate the founding of New China. So I decided from the very beginning - last October - that we should take a totally fresh approach.

"East Is Red and Road of Chinese Revolution are classics and exemplars. But Chinese people's aesthetic taste has greatly improved so I did not give them a show that already exists in their imagination."

He says he chose Awaking from the Dream (Jing Meng) from Peony Pavilion to show the nation was awakening from its long dream of "Heavenly Kingdom".

Zhang was commissioned to direct the epic soon after the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics which he co-directed with Zhang Yimou.

"We have used music, dance, drama and multi-media to present the history of the past 169 years," says Zhang.

But the veteran choreographer/director admits it was a huge challenge.

"This is the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China. It's not any commercial musical or TV show. It must present history accurately, it must tell the truth that it is history and the people who chose the Communist Party and socialism. It is the Chinese Communist Party that liberated the country and led the people to build a new China, and implemented the opening-up and reform policy to develop a modernized country. But all this must be told in an artistic way," says Zhang.

To achieve this goal, Zhang gathered a large number of talents - from veterans, such as 79-year-old lyricist Yan Su, to choreographers in their early 20s.

The dance numbers, Awaking from the Dream and Oration for the Mountains and Rivers, bear the stamp of three young choreographers - Tang Liwei, 28, Wang Lei, 27, and Chang Pingping, 28.

"The history of the 1840s seems far from people like us who were born in the 1980s," says Wang from the Beijing Dance Academy.

"Zhang explained the historical background and told us what kind of dance he wants. Then we read books, watched movies and studied other literature before we started to choreograph."

The show will have many of China's leading dancers including Shen Peiyi, Shan Chong and Wang Xiaoyan. Many numbers will have hundreds of dancers on stage. The last piece in the first part, Light Before the Dawn, has for example 621 dancers on stage. The famous soprano Peng Liyuan will sing for this piece, according to Mao Shi'an who is in charge of publicity.

"The most difficult part was to portray the 'opening-up and reform'," says Pan Zhitao, the 66-year-old dancer/choreographer who is in charge of all the dances.

"While the revolution or heroic deeds are somewhat easy to understand, as the audience can connect to many familiar symbols, the opening-up and reform policy is reflected in people's daily life, and this is hard to express in body language," Pan says.

But the young choreographer Xiao Xiangrong from Beijing Normal School has done a very good job, Pan adds.

The music adds to the epic show. According to Meng Weidong, who has not only composed three songs but is also in charge of all the music, says such established composers as Xu Peidong, Ye Xiaogang, Zhao Jiping, Yin Qing, Zhang Qianyi, Hao Weiya and leading singers as Song Zuying, Mao Amin, Yin Xiumei, Yan Weiwen, beside the pop star Han Hong, will lend their talents to the gala.

A huge chorus of more than 760 members comprises choirs from China Central Opera House, China Opera and Ballet Company, the Broadcasting Choir, the Chorus of Beijing Police and the choirs from Tsinghua University and Beijing Jiaotong University.

Chinese violinist Xue Wei and pianist Liu Shikun will also perform in the show.

The third section (1949-1978) includes a poem Contemplation and Choice which is about the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). The author Liu Xing told China Daily that it was the first poem about those years of chaos, to go on stage.

Liu, a veteran director whose credits range from movies and TV to theaters, and vice-director of China's August First Film Studio, will direct the movie edition of the epic.

Road of Rejuvenation will premiere on Sept 23 at the Great Hall of the People and CCTV will broadcast it live.

(China Daily September 1, 2009)