A grand comeback

A large-scale poetry and dance drama about Li Bai's return

Li Bai

The most romantic poet in Chinese history

The person is as elegant as a fairy, carefree and heroic

His poetry is exquisitely subtle and extremely romantic

Let's play together in the stage play "Li Bai Returns"

Approaching Li Bai

Cut a short clip and have a sneak peek first

Li Bai on the Walk

LARGE STAGE MELODRAMA

In the first year of the Baoying reign, when Li Bai passed away, he had a great dream, and all the past events came flooding back before his eyes. But my memory is hazy. Those Spaces are scattered and misaligned, pieced together. The faces of people are gradually blurring, and I can't even remember their names clearly. The most magnificent scenes of the Tang Dynasty, such as teachers, courtesans, emperors and concubines, one by one appeared in dreams, seeking the traces of poetry in Li Bai's life. And Li Bai also found the light in his heart in different dream Spaces and returned step by step.

This is the story of Li Bai's search for the other shore and his eventual return.

Three heavy chimes fell, and Li Bai made his appearance. While Li Bai in the center of the stage was recalling his life, four Li Bai from different periods appeared on both sides of the stage and introduced themselves in unison: "I'm Li Bai..." "

The curtain falls, the scene changes, and the story of departure begins. At the age of 24, Li Shier was unrestrained and wild. He decided to leave Sichuan, carrying his long sword, to seek his own destination. Braving the wind, frost, rain and snow, with lofty aspirations, I set out alone and reached Chang 'an City.

The open and inclusive atmosphere made the city of Chang 'an a place of bustling prosperity and peaceful singing and dancing. Twelve thought he had found the other shore. However, beneath the prosperous times, there were also injusments. After the first time Li Shier, in his youthful arrogance, drew his sword to help, his yearning and fantasy for Chang 'an City were shattered. He left Chang 'an and continued walking, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find that place without any injustice.

Li Zhexian made his appearance and took the sword from Li Shier's hand. The youthful and impetuous days of Li Bai had passed. Li Zhe Xian smelled the fragrance of the magnolia flowers in his hometown. He was determined to fall in love with nature and express his feelings in poetry. He put down the long sword in his hand and wrote many, many popular poems, but the world only remembered his poems and not him as a person. When he finally questioned himself one day, he was awakened by the unwillingness in his heart. Unwilling to let the sword be dusty again, Li Zhexian picked up the long sword once more. In the bamboo grove, a sword dance was performed, and the timeless "Jiang Jin Jiu" emerged out of the blue.

Li Bai returned to Chang 'an once again and was favored by the emperor. He felt that he had finally found the other shore this time. He put down the long sword in his hand once more. From then on, Li Zhexian left the stage and entrusted Li Bai's future to Li Hanlin, who was full of vigor and had a heart for the world. However, it is laughable that what the king wanted was to praise Li Zhe Xian for his peaceful and prosperous life. What Li Bai aspired to be, however, was the Li Hanlin who would restore the country and the people. In the resplendent imperial palace, Li Hanlin's "Three Poems of the Qingping Tune" was transformed into three dances of Yang Guifei. He understood that this was still not his other shore. During the An Shi Rebellion, the palace was set on fire. The emperor, accompanied by his concubines, fled in a panic. Li Bai left once again.

"Who am I?" At this moment, Li Bai, who couldn't see the light in the darkness, was puzzled. Is it Li Shier carrying a long sword out of Sichuan, the exiled immortal thinking of the magnolia flower, or Li Hanlin holding an official hat? Holding a wine glass and recalling the past, Li Bai thought of his hometown. He finally realized that at this moment, he was Li Qinglian. Li Qinglian gazed at her hometown from afar, missing it. But she could never return to it. She could only indulge in the fantasy of a fairyland with fluttering sleeves, disregarding the affairs of the world. She transformed her inner resentment into the words, "How could I bow my head and bend my waist to serve the powerful and prevent me from having a happy face?"

Beyond the illusory realm lies war and chaos. In the end, Li Bai still broke free from the illusion and chose to fight for his country and people. The intense music began to play, and the actors symbolizing the soldiers made their appearance, vividly portraying the surging and passionate emotions in Li Bai's heart. At this moment, Li Shier, Li Zhexian, Li Hanlin and Li Qinglian merged into one. Li Bai knew that after many years of wandering, this time, he had finally found the other shore he had been seeking.

2. Li Bai in Science and Technology

LARGE STAGE MELODRAMA

To present the performance perfectly, "The Return of Li Bai" employs video technology, immersive theater, new materials, mirror stages, special effects installations, and combines poetic imagery to create a diverse performance that brings Li Bai closer to the audience's inner world.

This play adopts a new and composite approach of "live-action performance + theme park", adhering to the principle of "ecology as the surface, performance as the medium, and culture as the soul". It brings together Li Bai at different life stages, including the Twelve, the Exiled Immortal, the Hanlin, and the Blue Lotus, and uses the ever-walking "Li Bai" as a thread. At different moments of life and turning points of fate, it revolves around light and hometown. They conversed with each other, said goodbye, and even questioned one another.

The performance creates visual imagery with Li Bai's classic famous lines, respectively using poetry, chivalry, wine, sword, dream and thought to correspond to monasticism, city, palace, mountain, water and moon. Li Bai's walking became the main image, having traversed the four seasons, the mountains and rivers, and his entire life, driving the continuous flashes of life's scenery. Finally, under the huge bright moon, when Li Bai walked towards the boundless light, he fulfilled his vision of returning and moving towards the light.

3. Li Bai in Innovation

LARGE STAGE MELODRAMA

The performance is divided into six acts, incorporating classic works and famous lines from Li Bai such as "Inviting You to Drink", "The Difficulty of the Shu Road", "Thoughts on a Silent Night", "The Journey of a Swordsman", "The Song of Qingping", and "Dreaming of Tianmu and Leaving". It transforms his life journey of enjoying the serene hometown, leaving relatives for a distant journey, traveling in Chang 'an, indulging in nature, writing in the imperial academy, drunk wandering in the fairyland, and being determined to serve the country into a journey in search of light.

In terms of presenting classic verses, the performance uses video technology to rapidly transform time and space, creating a grand atmosphere. Whether it's the mountains and waters of one's hometown, the stormy road in the distance, the Yellow River in poetry, the bustling Chang 'an, the dreamlike fairyland, or the magnificent palaces, the combination of enveloping images and realistic special effects of rain, mist and wind all immerse the audience in the world of poetry. The performance does not retell the events of Li Bai's life, but will reconnect familiar stories through a dramatic approach that traces his own life journey.

In addition, the performance styles of this stage play are also more diverse, featuring different performance elements such as musicals, operas, dramas, modern dance, and classical dance. When Li Bai first entered Chang 'an City, the prosperity he witnessed was presented by an opera performance in the bustling city. The classical dance is performed on Li Bai's "Three Poems of the Qingping Tune"... The unconventional performance style sets the tone and lays the groundwork for creating classic plays and long-term tourism performances, bringing more novelty to the audience.

tips for watching dramas

Performance time: Regular performance, every Saturday at 19:30

Performance Venue: Qinglian Taibai Grand Theatre

Visit Li Bai's former residence

Watch Li Bai return

The ticket hotline for Li Bai's Return is 0816-3772811

The tourist hotline for Li Bai's Former residence is 0816-3441887

Poetry and prose are immortal, and the spirit endures

Li Bai returns step by step in the moonlight

In fact, each of us is Li Bai

Every person's hometown is waiting for the return of the wanderer