China's Grand Canal has a history of more than 2,500 years. As a living fossil of human civilization as famous as the ancient Great Wall, it records the footprints and history of the Chinese nation, and embodies the toil, sweat and wisdom of the ancient laboring masses. The dance drama “Millennium Canal” is based on the historical fact that King Fuchai of Wu built the Han Canal to venture north and seek hegemony in the late Spring and Autumn period in Chinese history (about 2,500 years ago), a period when lords vied for supremacy. Tracing back to the beginning of the Grand Canal, the drama tells the historical story of how an ancient state strived to be strong and how civil officials and common people used their wisdom and worked together with persistence to the build the canal. “The millennium-old canal is a legend, which celebrates common people’s exploits”. Stories related to hegemony and personal emotions both of the noble and the common people during this historical period are interspersed in the plot. Some blow your mind and some reveal the frustration brought by disputes. The artistic expression of dance language and stage effects gives the audience an immersive experience of this part of history, which is well-known in China.
The drama is a high-quality original dance drama by Wuxi Song and Dance Theater in Jiangsu Province. Built in 1958, the theater currently has a cast and crew of more than 150 people. It has created and rehearsed a large number of excellent operas and dance dramas, including a list of plays that have won all the awards of National Stage Arts. Wuxi Song and Dance Theater not only focuses on creating high-quality plays, but also plans and organizes all kinds of large-scale activities. It has its own performing arts theater for performances and conferences, as well as an arts training center that provides dance training and grading test courses covering all ages.
Theater members have visited more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, France, the Netherlands, Egypt, Israel, the Republic of Colombia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Belgium, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, for cultural exchanges and commercial performances. The theater has become one of the representative professional groups in Jiangsu Province in terms of singing and dancing arts.
