In this year's workshop of the National Ballet of China, three young choreographers have turned to the written word for inspiration. Provided to China Daily

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In last year's ballet workshop, Fei presented his work Bolero, which was inspired by the one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). The piece was controversial because he broke with convention, challenging audience perceptions that ballet must be elegant and classical.

"I am not worried about the reviews since the workshop is a place to experiment. I think it's good for the progress of Chinese ballet," he says.

Unlike Fei, who set his eyes on a Western classical work, Zhang adapted established Chinese writer Feng Jicai's novel Three-Inch Golden Lotus into a ballet.

Having small feet was considered beautiful and a status symbol, which enabled women to marry well. The story revolves around the rivalry between women in a big, wealthy family.

"When I first read this novel, I knew that I should make it into a ballet. The custom of foot-binding reminds me of the suffering the ballet dancers go through while practicing," says the 28-year-old choreographer.

Zhang combined Chinese dance, which he studied at Beijing Dance Academy for four years, with ballet in his new work.

Wang, 24, the youngest of the three choreographers, is a big fan of fantasy novels and is keen to display his imagination through his latest work, Yan Shi, based on the novel by Pan Haitian, a young Chinese sci-fiction writer.

"Though the novel was written by a young author, the story was inspired by a fantasy tale in ancient China. I like the story because it connects with our modern society," says Wang, who is still studying at Beijing Dance Academy. The work will be jointly performed by dancers from NBC and BDA.