Directed by Zhang Yimou, the mass-choreographed outdoor show, Return to the Three Gorges, hit the stage on the Yangtze River on Dec 15 in Fengjie County, Southwest China’s Chongqing.

Combining natural beauty and modern technology, the show provides a unique demonstration of Chinese poetry and culture.

Built on a non-navigable section of the river near the Qutang Gorge, the floating performance area on the water is 160.8 meters long and 54 meters wide, while the floating audience area is 111.6 meters long and 34 meters wide and can host 1,738 people.

Qutang Gorge is the shortest and most spectacular among the Three Gorges.
Zhang is a world-famous film director and also has directed many spectacular shows, including the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

“This show is a new generation of my open-air production and it is very bold,” he said recently at a press conference in Fengjie.

“I am looking forward to feedback from the audience,” he said.

The show is about one hour long, with 10 acts. Each act is themed on a famous poem.

The first season of the show will last till Jan 1.

Video by Liu Xuan