PRINCESS ZHAOJUN Will Make NY Debut At The David H. Koch Theater

China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd. (CAEG) returns to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center this spring with Princess Zhaojun, a new dance drama performed by the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater.

The production will make its New York debut March 21-24 at The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center (20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY). The production is directed and choreographed by Ms. Kong Dexin, a 77th-generation direct descendant of Confucius, written by Yu Ping, and composed by Zhang Qu. For tickets and more information, visit davidhkochtheater.com.

Princess Zhaojun is a part of CAEG's Image China cultural exchange initiative, which seeks to introduce traditional and contemporary Chinese performing arts to audiences around the world. Since its inception in 2009, Image China has presented works at performance venues across the globe, including Lincoln Center in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and stages throughout Europe and Australia. Recent productions include Dragon Boat Racing, The Legend of Mulan, Confucius,

Soaring Wings and the acclaimed American debut of the Peking Opera star Zhang Huoding. Direct from China, and with traditional Chinese music, opulent costumes, and expressive choreography, Princess Zhaojun brings to life the real story of one of China's most important heroines, Wang Zhaojun, then an imperial concubine, who sacrifices her comfortable palace life to secure peace on the turbulent border of northern China. Princess Zhaojun had its world premiere in 2016 and has since toured throughout China. In 2017, it performed in National Auditorium of Mexico as a closing performance of "Year of Chinese Culture" in Mexico and won wide acclaim. El Universal applauded, "the audience were fascinated by the history, the costumes, the scenery and the dance," AEscena cheered, "unparalleled aesthetic quality,"and CIO.tv said, "Princess Zhaojun conquered Mexico." Said Wang Xiuqin,

General Manager of China Performing Arts Agency, CAEG, "Wang Zhaojun is an unsung heroine in the history of Chinese culture and selflessly offered herself in marriage to the monarch of Xiongnu to bring about peace. We hope that this dance drama, performed with imagination and elegance by the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, will excite the hearts and minds of audiences and bring the story of Wang to life." Centuries ago, the Xiongnu, a minority ethnic group on China's north, had constantly invaded the territory that today stands as China's Inner Mongolia region, and threatened the northern border of Han Dynasty. During the period of Emperor Yuan (49BC-33BC), Huhanye Chanyu, monarch of the Xiongnu, expressed his wish to establish friendly relations with Han Dynasty. Emperor Yuan decided to make peace with Huhanye Chanyu through marrying off his daughter. His daughter, the princess, refused the arrangement, and Wang Zhaojun, bored with palace life, offered to go instead. To Wang's surprise, she fell madly in love with Huhanye and did her best to serve as a good queen and build up friendly ties with the Han Dynasty. Today, the name of Zhaojun not only symbolizes physical beauty, but also a spirit of goodwill to bridge different cultures, even at the expense of one's own interests. The cast of Princess Zhaojun includes over 50 dancers. Princess Zhaojun has scenic and lighting design by Ren Dongsheng, costume design by Yang Donglin, and style design by Sun Aina.

Princess Zhaojun plays a limited run at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center (20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY) March 21-24. The performance schedule is March 21, 22, and 23 at 8:00PM and March 24 at 1:00PM. Ticket prices range from $66 to $196 (plus a $4.00 facility fee) and can be purchased online at www.davidhkochtheater.com.