Dynamic Yunnan poster.[Photo by diannaozj.com]

As the May holiday is coming, the warmer spring air and sunnier days are encouraging concrete jungle denizens to escape and travel. If you unfortunately have no plans, there are some shows in town around the holidays to at least bring you to some of China's most amazing places in two hours in the theater.

Called China's "Lord of the Rings" on stage, the musical "Immortality" is based on the Jinsha Relics, which were unearthed in a village in Chengdu's suburbs of Sichuan Province in 2001. The astonishing archeological discovery revealed an undocumented civilization around 3,000 years old. There are buildings, jade articles, stone figures, gold foil, bronze articles and ivories.

The original musical, which cost 16 million yuan (US$2.05 million), tells a love story carved the base of one of the relics. Highlighted by 25 new songs, the musical displays inspirations everywhere from the relic, such as transparent ivory light and a glistening meteorite spaceship.

It has been performed more than 400 times, to more than 230,000 spectators, and is considered a jewel within Chinese musical history.

The show was performed at the opening of the newly built Jinsha Relics Museum this Monday.

Besides relics, another show "Sound of Cloud Land" will bring you to a beautiful land of clouds, not New Zealand, but China's cloud land - Yunnan Province.

The show is a true-to-life collection of primitive dance and songs of 18 ethnic groups of the province, which celebrate nature, life and eternal love.

Quite similar to the award-winning song-and-dance show "Dynamic Yunnan," created by famous Chinese choreographer Yang Liping, the show combines primitive movement with modern visual concepts.

A highlight of the show is the singing of a couple of sister and brother, Li Huaixiu and Li Huaifu, from the Yi ethnic group, who had won the golden award in the CCTV Singing Competition's indigenous group. The sister can sing for more than 40 seconds at one breath and her song is perfectly accompanied by the singing of her brother.

All the costumes, props and masks are made in Yunnan and 70 per cent of the dancers belong to native ethnic groups.

"Immortality"
Date: April 27-28, 7:15pm
Venue: Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong
Tickets: 80-580 yuan

"Sound of Cloud Land"
Date: May 9-10, 7:15pm
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 People's Ave
Tickets: 100-500 yuan

Tel: 962-288