Poetic dance drama inspired by classic Chinese painting debuts in US to ring in 2025

A highly-acclaimed poetic dance drama show based on a classic Chinese painting has made its debut in the U.S. with a series of shows in the state of California, giving theatergoers the chance to welcome in 2025 with the captivating beauty of oriental art.

Presented by the China Oriental Performing Arts Group, the vibrant stage show of "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting" drew more than 2,000 attendees for the premiere performance at the San Diego Civic Theater on New Year's Eve on Tuesday, with another coming on Wednesday.

The 120-minute-long drama tells the story of Wang Ximeng, a young painter from the Northern Song Dynasty period (960 to 1127), and his immortal artwork "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains," through the perspective of a modern Palace Museum researcher.

The original painting, now in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing, is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important works in the history of Chinese fine art. The 11-meter-long scroll painting is a record of people's lives and the natural scenery of that time, mixing realism with creative imagination.

Since its premiere in 2021, the drama production has staged over 650 performances globally, earning widespread acclaim. This New Year's performance marked its first appearance in the United States and served as the grand finale of its 2024 international tour.

Poetic dance drama inspired by classic Chinese painting debuts in US to ring in 2025

A meeting of film industry leaders from across China was held Saturday in Beijing to review the achievements of the past year and outline key priorities for 2025.

Shen Haixiong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of China Media Group, attended the meeting.

The meeting highlighted that the total box office revenue of Chinese films surpassed 42.5 billion yuan (around 5.81 billion U.S. dollars), with total viewership exceeding over 1 billion, in 2024. Among them, the box office of domestic films was 33.43 billion yuan (around 4.57 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 78.68 percent of the total.

It emphasized the need for deeper reforms to create a healthy and vibrant ecosystem for movie production.

To promote the high-quality development of the film industry, the meeting called for the creation of outstanding works that resonate with audiences.

It also urged efforts to innovate the promotion of Chinese films internationally, enhance global exchanges and cooperation, and boost the international competitiveness and influence of Chinese cinema.

Meeting of film industry leaders outlines priorities for movie sector in 2025