China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater Debut PRINCESS ZHAOJUN In Boston

China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) will present the Boston Debut of the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater in a new production of the dance drama Princess Zhaojun, the true story of how one woman brought together a nation. The performances will take place on Saturday, March 16, 2019 at 8:00pm and Sunday, March 17, 2019 at 2:00pm at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street, Boston, MA.

Tickets start at $70 and are available online at bochcenter.org, by calling 866-348-9738, or at the Boch Center Box Office, 270 Tremont Street, Boston, MA.

Direct from China, and with traditional Chinese music, opulent costumes, and expressive choreography, the dance drama Princess Zhaojun brings back to life the real story of one of China's most important heroines Wang Zhaojun who sacrificed her comfortable palace life to maintain peace on the turbulent border of northern China. It is written by Yu Ping, composed by Zhang Qu, and directed and choreographed by Ms. Kong Dexin, a 77th-generation direct descendant of Confucius. 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.

Centuries ago, the Xiongnu 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. The emperor decided to make peace with Huhanye through marrying off his daughter. The princess refused the arrangement, and Wang, 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 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.

Thrilling and emotional, sumptuous and stunning, this dance production had its world premiere in 2016 and has since toured throughout China. In 2017, it was performed in the National Auditorium of Mexico as a closing performance of "Year of Chinese Culture" in Mexico and won wide acclaim. Critics have described the production as captivating to "the audience [who] were fascinated by the history, the costumes, the scenery and the dance" (El Universal), "unparalleled aesthetic quality" (AEscena) and "Princess Zhaojun conquered Mexico" (CIO.tv).

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 Soaring Wings, Confucius, Dragon Boat Racing, The Legend of Mulan, and the acclaimed American debut of the Peking Opera star Zhang Huoding.

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