A Dream of Red Mansions dance drama debuts in New York

Fred Teng, president of the America China Public Affairs Institute and a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, noted that the production's real triumph lies in making an 18th-century Chinese narrative resonate as a modern, universal story.

"When the music of A Dream of Red Mansions sounded in New York, I saw not only an exquisitely crafted dance drama, but a cultural bridge linking China and the United States, tradition and modernity," Teng said.

"Even without knowing the intricate lore or character relationships, international audiences feel the heartbreak of unfulfilled love and the melancholy of fading youth," he added.

For the dancers on stage, bridging the cultural divide demanded trusting in the universal language of emotion, rather than expecting international audiences to decipher every 18th-century literary reference.