A song & dance about history

Music teachers and students in Xi'an have gone to great lengths to recreate scenes from murals discovered in the tomb of the senior Tang Dynasty (618-907) official Han Xiu, which was unearthed in the Chang'an district of the Shaanxi capital in 2014.

Harmony, or He Wu, an original dance drama choreographed by Liu Jina, a professor of the university, was staged in Xi'an on March 25, and it was warmly received.

Based on the murals, portraying court dancers and musicians, the dance drama combines a variety of dance styles, such as solo, duo and group, to present the typical style of dance and music of the golden age of the Tang Dynasty.

Teachers and students of the School of Music of Shaanxi Normal University visited museums of Shaanxi province last year, focusing on research relating to Tang Dynasty dance forms, Liu says. They visited Shaanxi History Museum, Zhaoling Museum (the tomb of Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty), and Tang West Market Museum in Xi'an, as well as ancient tomb sites in Shaanxi province, where they collected photos and videos about murals of the Tang Dynasty.

"The choreography is faithful to the history,"Liu says. "We also designed the costumes, makeup and headwear based on the murals."

Harmony is derived from an original dance production by the university. The production, titled Tang Wu Chang'an, or dance of Chang'an, premiered on Dec 10 in the concert hall of Shaanxi Normal University.

Harmony is one of the eight parts of the dance production, all inspired by paintings, murals, and unearthed Tang Dynasty relics, such as Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk by the painter Zhang Xuan and tricolored glazed pottery figurines.

Chang'an, which today is Xi'an, was capital of the Tang Dynasty. Many tombs of royals, nobles and celebrities can be found around the city. For example in November early work of a noted calligraphy master of the Tang Dynasty, Yan Zhenqing, was found in an archaeological excavation in Xixian New Area, on Xi'an's outskirts.

Han Xiu was an important official during the reign of the Tang Emperor Xuanzong (712-756). When Han's tomb was unearthed, more than 140 exhibits were discovered, including frescoes whose colors and lines, despite decay, were still recognizable.

"The discovery of the tomb has provided new materials for the study of murals and social customs at the time," Liu says. "We are keen to bring those beautiful dances alive on stage, which helps today's audiences to better learn about the great Tang Dynasty culture."