From caves to the stage

Choreographer Fei Bo brings to fore the stories of people associated with preserving Dunhuang's grottoes in a new ballet. Chen Jie reports.

Flying apsaras (supernatural entities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology) on the ceilings of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang have inspired many dancers - and Fei Bo is no exception.

But what impressed the Chinese choreographer most about the caves, which are located in Northwest China's Gansu province, was what was behind the preservation of the Buddhist art and frescoes.