Actors from the play Photo: Courtesy of Impression Pingyao Theater

Have you ever walked while watching a play? Ever had an interactive experience with drama? The large-scale experience drama, Impression Pingyao, directed by the famous Wang Chaoge, promises to be a whole new type of theater experience.

The play officially premiered in Pingyao, Shanxi Province, last Monday. It tells the story of the master of the Pingyao exchange shop, Zhao Yishuo, who protected a lineage of Wang at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). He went to the Czar of Russia by pledging all his money with 232 public securities and they all died on the way back after seven years, making the lineage of Wang continue .

The performance highlights the Pingyao people's moral tradition and stirring sentiment. Moral doctrine is presented through folk customs and historical facts. The narration is rich with deep thinking and literary depth. The performance impacts the audience's emotions, making them remember the characters and wise thoughts.

The performance makes the most of the performing arts, employing drama, dance, music and light and sound design on the forefront of its field. The performers are non-professional actors, but they sing and dance with total commitment, shortening the distance between the performer and audience member.

Wang said, "The most important feature in the Chinese culture industry system is to serve the people, not the artist, or for any award."

"We hope to be able to have good box office sales, which does not only mean money, but a lot of people getting to feel the art," she added. "It is an artist's adventure and a revolution of a stage show."

Pingyao, a world cultural heritage site, is a brilliant cultural treasure in China's 5,000-year history. Building a Pingyao Scene Experience Area will undoubtedly help foster dialogue between the new and the traditional, said Wang.

The stage design showcases the perfect combination of the natural landscape with the historical landscape, as well as the harmony between art and architecture in Pingyao. The new area makes the whole project an extension of Pingyao's traditional culture and also a modern development area that adds bright scenery for Pingyao.

"What make me proud are the story and the script." said Wang.

The story came to her after spending a long portion of her life in Pingyao. She hopes the audience can follow the actors' language, and pay attention to some of the stage design. She wants to present a performance that uses dramatic narrative combined with a rich visual and stage experience, providing a unique and memorable play to the audience.

The natives in Shanxi used to live in caves, and there remain a lot of caves in Pingyao. Therefore, the performance uses a loess as both material and symbol. It reflects the story of the ancestors and blood relationship, presenting a quite distinctive building design, Wang noted.

The audience praised the peculiar theatrical process.

"This may be the most innovative performance I've seen in recent decades. I have never seen such a shocking performance before. There is no doubt that it is the freshest one on the stage which also constitutes as a cultural event. It's thought-provoking," said one audience member.