On an open stage, built with reeds and war drums, dancers gracefully move with willow branches, showcasing scenes of sacrificial rites, labor, love, conflict and triumph as they tell the story of Panlongcheng from 3,500 years ago to the engrossed audience.
The Panlongcheng Site, located in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, dates back to the early Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC). It is one of the largest and richest archaeological discoveries in the Yangtze River Basin.
The dancers' costumes, such as the adornments on the outer garment, are patterned like the bronze artifacts unearthed from the Panlongcheng Site. Dancers also wear masks resembling a well-known"Bronze Mask" unearthed there.
As the dancers perform under the sunlight, these artifacts cease to be mere inanimate objects confined to a glass exhibition case in a museum. Instead, they transform into vibrant witnesses of the past and provide an entrance through which the imagination can wander.