Thousands of years ago in a mysterious land called the middle kingdom, a young monk named Chun Yi practiced Zen Buddhism. His arduous journey to adulthood and enlightenment had begun -- and the martial art wonder of kungfu was born.

Cut to the present day, the tale is told in the Red Theatre in the Chongwen District of China's capital Beijing amid a colorful musical extravaganza of lights, dance and amazing fight scenes.

The Legend of Kungfu is produced by the China Heaven Creation Performing Arts Company (CHCIPA), and is performed every evening at the newly renovated Red Theatre, formerly known as Chongwen Workers' Cultural Palace.

The stunning production has been likened to a Broadway spectacle, and rightly so.

The opening scenes set the standard. We first meet our protagonist Chun Yi, meaning the "Pure One", who is a young monk clad in white who weaves and whirls his way across the stage as he calls upon Buddha for help in finding the path to enlightenment.

This drama depicts the long and arduous journey of Chun Yi. He persistently practices kungfu along with Zen Buddhism to steel his body and mind from the temptation of the earthly world as he embarks on a pilgrimage to religious enlightenment.

Kungfu today is popular throughout the world thanks to generations of Kungfu movie stars like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and several renowned kungfu movie directors and their iconoclastic works, such as Ang Lee with his Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Zhang Yimou with his Hero.

"Previous kungfu stage shows were nothing more than a collage of kungfu skills and stunts," says Zhao Lushun, head of the performing troupe that came together to work on the production only three months ago.

To achieve the Broadway effect, plenty of money, state-of-the-art sets and lighting, a team with a strong sense of creativity and co-operation were essential, says Su Shijin, the director and script writer of the drama.

But the effort is worth every fen. The Legend of Kungfu is a hit and is likely to be as long-running as any big New York stage production.

Modern dance fusion

"This is the first attempt in the world to merge modern dance with martial arts," says Cao Xiaoning, CEO of CHCIPA, the theatre company backing the production. He reveals he has taken plenty of risks in supporting the innovative 8 million yuan (US$966,000) drama.

"Modern artistic expression is the foundation for the drama," says Su, adding modern dance is a mainstay to engage the audience in the story.

Su argues that kungfu lacks the expression of inner feelings. After all, much of the daily life of monks in Chinese temples includes such sedate activities as sweeping the grounds and meditating. Of course, there is the great feats of masculinity, such as breaking iron bars by use of the head and continuous airborne back flips. Fusing the many parts of a monk's life into a play was no easy task.

However, modern dance is rich with emotions and is an effective vehicle for the inner character of martial arts, says Su.

"The combination of the two genres perfects the depiction of a monk," he adds.

Du Qiang, who plays the role of Chun Yi, initially felt awkward mixing sturdy kungfu moves with modern dance. "Now I find it innovative and enjoy it," he says. "The rich body language represents the monk's inner conflict between Buddhist commandments and worldly desires, especially the sexual desire."

Gao Zhen, the kungfu director, still feels kungfu is greatly different from modern dance. He says kungfu stresses the sudden outburst of strength, thus kungfu actors usually cannot last for long on the stage. But dancers are better prepared for the enduring routines.

However, the fusion of the two genres finds some common grounds. "The mix is first of all based upon the story line," says Su.

The plot is revealed by exposing the various difficulties and challenges a monk experiences including sexual temptations.

"This well-knit story line marks a great shift from the previous kungfu shows," comments Zhao.

Su says the mix is not the far-fetched collage such as that found in films, but "a harmonious integration through mutual transformations."

Su has tried to revolutionize every movement of the conventional kungfu, thus adding more expressive forces to stunts and the martial art skills.

Kungfu actors in the troupe have been recruited from professional martial arts schools from across the country.

Most of the actors had no training of modern dance and they underwent intense rehearsals before the first public show on July 22. All are now able to strike a graceful pose on the stage.

"I modeled the solo, duo, trio and group dance to work with kungfu moves," Su explains.

In fact, modern dance mimics some kungfu techniques, such as fist and leg fighting patterns.

Flights of fancy

"I do not refuse any specific genre as long as it is helpful to developing the plot," Su says.

One bold scene uses plastic models and pools of water. The suspension of seven models in the air suggests the separation of body and soul of the monk Chun Yi, and human beings in general. Two modern dancers playing the role of lovers in the earthly world enjoy their sensual happiness in one of the pools of water on stage, which represents the world of moral deviance. Chun Yi fails to resist the temptation and falls into the pool. A model implies the body is dragged by the monk from the contaminated pool to a pure, clean one. But soon the model is seized and taken back to the corrupt pool. The inner conflict of the monk is vividly embodied in such scenes.

Acrobatics is also used to create the dreamlike land which is shrouded in fogs and bubbles, computerized pastel lighting and melodious music.

"We have experimented to bring these genres into a harmonious status," Zhao says.

Breath-taking kungfu

Using several dramatic techniques does not overshadow the martial arts in the production. Armed and unarmed combat scenes in dance format make for breath-taking stunts.

"I am amazed by this wonderful performance," said theatre-goer, Tom Rodd, who works for the British Embassy in Beijing. He joked that he would be scared if he was to come across the teenage kungfu actors who appear in the production on the street.

Zhang Shenshan, a 21-year-old kungfu actor has perfected during his three-year practice of the difficult breathing exercise, a specialism taught at Chinese martial arts schools along with the feat of sustaining the hard or sharp objects by some part of the body, like head, abdomen or fingers.

During the stage performance, he conducts several amazing feats, including bending two sharp spears by using his throat. He uses his abdomen to break four steel-bars which are two centimeters thick.

"It is rather risky, and injuries are common for us," says Zhang, raising his head upward, revealing several fresh cuts on his throat below his Adam's apple. Then he lifts his shirt, and shows off a scar as large as two coins near his navel.

"It is the human body that confronts these objects, not the mind," he says.

Along with his peers, he meditates and stands on his head to practice the breathing techniques which helps the mind conquer the pain.

"When you are practicing, your mind should not be disturbed by anything outside. This is the first step," he says. "You must master all of your spirit and try your best to direct the air flow within your body to your head. The gathering of the air around the head makes you feel as though there is a cushion of air under your skin. This makes your flesh as hard as iron."

The production stars 50 performers, among whom only two are women. It is taking a unique road at a time when women shows are pervasive and prosperous in the world.

Cao believes the audience will warm to the theme of masculinity through brawn, and will be moved by the perseverance of the monk during his quest for religious truth.

"This drama depicts some common issues that may happen in the life of everyone, no matter male or female, young or old," he adds.

Su also says the show attaches great importance to the human spirit. The drama starts and ends with the fortunes and the life traveled by a boy -- a plot which underlines the Buddhist belief of transmigration. According to Su, it is not merely the rebirth of the human body, but the rebirth of the human spirit.

"The spirit of kungfu is the spirit of China, too," he says.

(China Daily August 24, 2004)