Terracotta shock and awe

The army of 8,000 life-size clay warriors guarding the tomb of the first emperor of China has inspired awe ever since it was accidentally uncovered near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in 1974.

Inspired by this history, the American-Chinese producer and director Dennis K Law has choreographed a new "action musical", Terracotta Warriors, which is now playing in Beijing.

If you don't know what an action musical is, you're not alone. Dennis K Law came up with the term to describe his own large-scale spectacles combining Chinese dance and martial arts, circus-style acrobatics, elaborate period sets and costumes and a good deal of Broadway-style pizzazz.