Promotional material for Apologue Photo: Courtesy of Dongfang

The national tour for Apologue, a series of stage dramas directed by famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, kicked off on Friday in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. The series features eight stage performances that combine traditional Chinese culture with advanced technology.

In addition to Chengdu, Apologue will head to Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, Shanghai and Hefei, East China's Anhui Province.

As the series' fourth tour, the eight stage performances include the most stunning and classic performances from the previous three tours, including Chengyun.Array, Drums.Shadow and Peking Opera. iPad Show. 

Fifty-six teams from 12 countries produced the series, which involves many brilliant artists such as Grammy Award winner Wu Tong and Qiu Jirong, the fourth generation inheritor of the Qiu school of Peking Opera.

Seeking out China's little-known traditional arts and culture, Zhang has combined them with the latest technology to present amazing dramatic performances. 

The new tour marks the first time that Zhang has used an all-black stage and changing lights and shadows for stunning effect.

"In my music work throughout the year, Apologue is a highlight and also a beautiful dream. There are still many elements of traditional Chinese music worth exploring," Wu, music director of the series, said.

Different from traditional stage dramas, the series has no specific plot. It interprets the relationship between science, technology and humanity with great realistic significance through the combination of traditional Chinese art and modern technology.

The series has earned an 8.5/10 on Chinese media review platform Douban and also impressive compliments from entertainment industry insiders including renowned Chinese performing artist Lan Tianye.