Rain of Flowers Along the Silk Road

Drawing extensively from the frescoes in the Mogao Caves in its movements and set design, it follows a painter and his daughter over the course of several years as they befriend a Persian merchant and topple a local magistrate.

Developed for the 1979 National Day of the People's Republic of China, Rain of Flowers Along the Silk Road was lauded upon its debut.

It has been updated several times, with a modified version incorporated into the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, and spawned a style of dance known as Dunhuang.

Zhang entrusts Yingniang to him, knowing that the corrupt local magistrate desires to take her as a concubine, and the couple leave for Persia.

[6] Inspiration for Rain of Flowers Along the Silk Road came from the Mogao Caves, which contains thousands of paintings and sculptures that date from the 5th through 14th centuries.

[7] Elements borrowed from the caves included flying apsaras, who open the performance, as well Yingniang's tribhanga pose and playing a pipa behind her head.

Audiences included national leaders such as Deng Xiaoping and Ye Jianying, as well as Chinese celebrities and foreign dignitaries.

[5] International performances of Rain of Flowers Along the Silk Road began in 1979, with stagings in Hong Kong drawing praise.

The show was brought to North Korea two years later,[5] where it was praised by Kim Jong-il as showcasing "the aspirations and wishes of the people who ... opposed the corrupt feudal ruling quarters in those days [of the Tang dynasty] and all social evils caused by them.

"[14] Since then, performances have been recorded in more than twenty countries, including at La Scala in Milan, Italy, as well as in France, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United States.