Shanghai Dance Company’s new Song Dynasty drama

Kevin Ng September 29, 2025 21:37

Towards the end of this year’s Chinese Culture Festival, there was an interesting programme entitled “Azure After the Rain” last weekend performed at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre by the Shanghai Dance Theatre. This company, founded in 1979, only premiered this dance drama in the Shanghai International Arts Festival last year.

The story of this dance work is centred on the life of the famous Song Dynasty poetess Li Qingzhao, and especially on her love for a government official, Zhao Mingcheng. This two-act work has 13 scenes and lasts for two hours including an interval. Act 1 gradually leads to their marriage and ends with the couple being separated because of the war. Act 2 commences with Zhao’s unfortunate death and continues with Li being cheated by an evil man Wang Ruzhou who tries to steal the valuable treasures from her home. The narration is straightforward and easy to follow generally.

Act 1 is more successful than Act 2. Act 2 seems to lose its momentum halfway through, after Li fights the evil Wang, and meanders slightly without any clear direction. However their divorce scene is effective with drumbeats signaling her petition at the court, followed by an explosive group dance of the courtiers. The final scenes depicting her devotion to her literary work is however rather cliched. The epilogue mirrors the prologue in the beginning, and signifies Li’s greatness as a poet after all these centuries and the enduring popularity of her poems.

The producer and artistic supervisor is Wang Yan, and as many as nine people are listed as choreographers, which sounds like a group project. The choreography is formulaic and average overall, but not particularly inventive. The first duet for Li and Zhao is actually quite balletic with long lines and high lifts. However immediately after the wedding, there is another passionate duet at their marital home. It should have waited till later on in the act, as it would be shown to better effect. In this second duet they mirror each other in their steps. The group dances in the Lantern Festival scene early in Act 1 are quite colourful. Li has endless grieving solos in Act 2.

Zhou Xiaohui was excellent in the main role of the poetess Li, while Wang Jiajun impressed as her husband Zhao. The recorded music score composed by Guo Haowei is cinematic in style and suitably atmospheric, though occasionally repetitive. The costumes designed by Yang Donglin are sumptuous.

Stage designer Hu Yanjun produced long screens which roll open from one side to the other, gradually revealing different backgrounds featuring visual elements of traditional Chinese art, following the flow of the narrative. Lighting however is too dark in the last part of Act 2.

On another note, this year’s Asia+Festival has also opened a week ago featuring a good variety of programmes that will continue until the end of November.

(Photo courtesy of LCSD)

Kevin Ng

veteran dance critic