In the embrace of the vast Gobi, Dunhuang has stood for thousands of years, like a bright pearl, embedded in the vein of the Silk Road. The flying and musicians in the murals tell the eternal poems of the fusion of East and West. Today, the cave-style immersive experience tourism performing arts repertoire "Moving Dunhuang", produced and directed by Gansu Performing Arts Group, is transforming from a mobile theatrical version in 2019 to a 70-minute residency with the pen of contemporary art, and settled in Dunhuang, an important town on the Silk Road. Especially since the beginning of this year, the play has attracted many tourists with its unique charm and has become a major cultural highlight of Gansu tourism.
Stills from the performance of "Music Dunhuang"
Ancient rhyme is reborn
Traditional culture regains its brilliance with the help of modern technology
The creation of "Music in Dunhuang" began with a deep excavation of the music and dance imagery in Dunhuang murals. These murals are not cold relics - the flying dance posture and the moment of rebounding the pipa solidify the ancient music score and dance charm from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties.
The creative team, together with the Dunhuang Research Institute, systematically studied the music and dance images in caves such as Cave 220 and Cave 112 of the Mogao Grottoes, and restored the timbre and shape of ancient musical instruments such as Konghou, pipa, and panxiao. Through digital modeling and acoustic analysis, the long-lost ancient music scale is reproduced, so that the audience can hear the echoes of the Silk Road thousands of years ago in modern times.
At the technical level, "Music in Dunhuang" uses holographic projection, mechanical devices, stage props and immersive sound technology to transform static murals into dynamic stage presentations. As a result, such holographic projection technology instantly allows flying dancers to "dance" around the audience.
In the play, you can also see the little-known "Angry King Kong", which shows the unique charm of cultural integration, and the costumes and headdresses have the gorgeous characteristics of Tang Dynasty aesthetics. At present, the "Angry King Kong" is only recorded in the color sculpture of Cave 206 of the Mogao Grottoes and the silk painting of the Tang Dynasty "Vajra Statue", but Cave 206 is not open to the public.
"Wow, it actually moves!" In the performance of "Music Dunhuang", whenever "Angry King Kong" appears, it will make the audience exclaim again and again. Its exquisite and complex costumes perfectly reproduce the "haute couture" style of Tang Dynasty murals, and the "angry King Kong" stands on the stage, with tough muscle lines, sharp eyes, and an aura of two meters and eight, and is a protector who jumps out of the mural.
Don't think that King Kong can only stand on the pile and be handsome, in the play he is not a cold character, sometimes angry and shocking the audience to show the majesty of the protector, sometimes switching modes to shake hands and interact with the audience, warming his heart like a big brother. The children were so excited that they shouted when they saw it "come to life": "I really want to take a photo with it." ”
It can be said that the play frees traditional culture from the shackles of cultural heritage and shines with artistic light that reaches the hearts of the people. However, behind this technological innovation, there is a call for a deeper cultural spirit, waiting to be reawakened.
The Silk Road blends
Watch the original intention in openness and inclusiveness
"Technology 'resurrects' murals, and the soul of culture gives "Music to Dunhuang" a more far-reaching meaning. The relevant person in charge of Gansu Performing Arts Group said: "This work is based on the narrative prototype of the Kucha music master Su Zhipa from the Wei, Jin to Su dynasties, and tells a Silk Road legend about integration and original intention. Among them, Su Jipo laid the theory of 'five dan and seven sounds' of Chinese classical music with her outstanding talent in integrating the elegant music of the Central Plains and the Hu music of the Western Regions, and wrote the essence of the openness and inclusiveness of the Silk Road. ”
In the play, Bai Xin went from becoming famous at a young age to the confusion of traveling west to Dunhuang, and then to the nameless persistence of the cave painter, completing the mental journey of "seeing heaven and earth, seeing all living beings, and seeing the true self".
This narrative not only pays tribute to the multiculturalism of Dunhuang, but also enlightens every audience: in the torrent of the times, only by integrating with an open mind can we watch over the original intention of culture and shine with immortal light. Bai Xin's story has traveled through thousands of years, and "Music Dunhuang" has made this cultural spirit reach the hearts of modern audiences.
Spiritual resonance
Immersive experiences awaken a sense of belonging
"Music Dunhuang" uses technology to carry culture, connects people's hearts with culture, and finally responds to human beings' eternal pursuit of belonging in an immersive experience. In the fast-paced modern society, people are often lost in the flood of fragmented information and eager to connect with deeper cultural roots.
In the performance of the play, areas B1 and B use a 360-degree wrap-around stage, and the audience is placed in a "Mogao Grottoes"-like environment, surrounded by dynamically projected flying and musicians, as well as real-life interpretations of musicians, beauty bodhisattvas, and angry King Kong. Let the flying dancers seem to "walk" out of the mural and interact with the audience up close.
"This immersive design not only allows the audience to feel the beauty of Dunhuang culture, but also evokes a deep sense of cultural belonging." Ms. Zhao, a Sichuan tourist who traveled to Dunhuang, made a special trip to watch "Music Dunhuang", and she said excitedly: "From Bai Xin's music to the flying dance, from the echo of ancient musical instruments to the presentation of modern technology, "Music Dunhuang" connects the individual with history, the East and the West, so that every heart can find a home in the brilliance of culture."
"Music in Dunhuang" revives the ancient rhyme with modern technology, connects the ancient and modern with the spirit of the Silk Road, awakens belonging with immersive experience, and reflects the eternal charm of Dunhuang as a symbol of cultural integration.
Looking forward to the future, "Happy Dunhuang" will continue to explore the boundaries of technology and art, allowing global audiences to experience the smart beauty of Dunhuang in a more profound way. The Silk Road echoes and the music is unstoppable, and this Gobi Pearl will ignite the torch of cultural self-confidence on the stage of the new era and lead mankind to a more profound empathy and understanding. (Li Chao, chief reporter of Lanzhou Daily)