Promotional material for Follow The Mother River Photo: Courtesy of Dongfang

Promotional material for Follow The Mother River Photo: Courtesy of Dongfang

Original Chinese dance drama Follow The Mother River debuted at Beijing's Tianqiao Performing Arts Center on Saturday.  

The environmentally-conscious show tells the story of how people in Northwest China's Qinghai Province maintain a balanced lifestyle with their surrounding natural environment, which includes rivers, mountains and animals. 

According to the show's producer, the Qinghai Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the drama explores the stories of the people living at the source of China's mother river, the Yellow River, and the traditions they have passed down from generation to generation.  

In order to find inspiration, the crew, including composer San Bao and dancers like Pan Yongchao and Feng Shiyang, paid several visits to Qinghai's Sanjiangyuan, which means the "source of three rivers" and is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers.