The Full Story of "Farewell My Concubine", a dance-theater directed by Yang Liping, will be staged this July. Yang is the artistic director and chief choreographer of the drama, who finds a balance between the traditional and the contemporary, turning an old and oft-told tale into theatrically vivid entertainment.

That tale is about the Chu-Han Contention, the series of battles around 200 B.C. that established the Han dynasty. It’s the story told in the classic Beijing opera “Farewell My Concubine.”

Crowned as “Peacock Princess” and “Dance Goddess”, Yang Liping is a Bai ethnic native of Dali, Yunnan. She joined the Xishuangbanna Song and Dance Ensemble in 1971. She starred in the large-scale ethnic dance drama Peacock Princess which won the First Prize of Performance in Yunnan Province in 1979.

In 1986, she created and performed the solo Spirit of Peacock, which made a name for herself. The Spirit of Peacock not only won the First Prize of Creation and was ranked 1st place of Performance in the Second National Dance Competition, but was also staged for the Closing Ceremony in the 11th Asian Games in 1990. In 1994, the Spirit of Peacock won the Gold Medal of Dance Classics of the Chinese Nation across the 20th Century.

Time: 19:30, July 21 and 22

Venue: Hangzhou Grand Theater

Ticket prices: 280/480/680/1280 yuan