Peking University, September 20, 2024:  Thousands gathered to watch art from the Song Dynasty come to life through dance and music, in the film adaptation of Chinese dance drama A Tapestry of a Legendary Land.

On September 19, 2024, A Tapestry of a Legendary Land made its global debut at the Khoo Teck Puat Sports Complex at Peking University. The directors and members of the cast awed the audience with the marriage of artistic mediums in this film, which revolves around the famous Chinese painting Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains from the Song Dynasty. "This film will help bring artwork and dance beyond places that they can go," said director Zhou Liya.

The audience received exquisite souvenirs at the venue, including signed posters, glowing wristbands, glass mugs, and commemorative postcards. However, the most precious gift that night was the visual feast of Chinese aesthetics featured in the film. 

In the film, a modern cultural relic researcher studies the painting Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains, and is taken on a whimsical journey with its creator Wang Ximeng, a young painter from the Northern Song Dynasty. 

The story unfolds through chapters such as "Inquiring about Seal Script", "Singing Silk", "Listening to the Rain", "Grinding Stone", "Practicing Brush", "Tempering Ink", "Cyan and Green", and "Entering the Painting". Through the perseverance and collaborative efforts of various professionals, including brush makers, canvas weavers, and pigment gatherers, this painting ultimately became an eternal masterpiece. 

The cast members from the original 2021 dance drama was also featured in the film, which is a  collaborative production by The Palace Museum, People's Daily Online, and China Oriental Performing Arts Group. 

Following the screening, the cast members graced the audience with the most iconic scenes from the film, culminating in a theatrical curtain call that bridged the gap between stage and screen. Directors Zhou Liya and Han Zhen, along with the three leading actors—Zhang Han, Meng Qingyang, and Xie Suhao—joined the dancers to share their insights and express their emotions about participating in this unique premiere event. 

The event attracted numerous professors and scholars from PKU. Peng Feng and Li Yang, dean and vice dean of the School of Arts, took to the stage to commend the portrayal and promotion of rich traditional Chinese culture in the film. They shared their takeaways from the film, touching on aspects of art, culture, and cultural heritage. To explore the seal carving techniques required for the creation of the painting, as well as the production processes of materials and tools such as silk, pigments, brushes, and ink, the film production team invited multiple national-level representatives of intangible cultural heritage as consultants for the film. 

PKU students from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, including history, foreign languages, archaelogy, and PKU Dance Troupe were invited to interact with the creative team. They shared how they explored the passionate life of Wang Ximeng through the film, who was "devoted to cyan and green for a lifetime," and engaged in a profound exchange on the topic of "how to spend one's youth and even one's entire life." 


Finally, the premiere event wrapped up with a group photo of the creative team, school leaders and the audience. A Tapestry of a Legendary Land is set to hit theatres across China on October 1st, China's National Day.

Written by: Chen Chuyun, Wang Mengjiao
Photos by: Li Xianghua, Yan Linlin 
Edited by: Wang Jia En, Wu Jiayun