What is ethnic is international. The success of *Heaven and Earth: Changbai* tonight also shows the world that the essence of a nation’s culture is its finest.
Before the show began, the resort held a grand ribbon-cutting ceremony. Leaders from Jilin Province and Xun Fengqi, head of the Provincial Cultural System Reform and Cultural Industries Development Working Group, attended the opening ceremony and watched the performance.
After the ribbon-cutting, all the guests and audience members entered the venue, and all over 600 seats were sold out, filling the theater to capacity. As the curtain slowly rose and the magnificent golden splendor of the imperial court came into view, it immediately drew enthusiastic applause. The evening show was divided into five acts. The first act featured not only visually stunning palace stage design but also incredibly challenging court sculpture acrobatics that left the audience in awe. The second act, the Crane Dance, expressed the beauty and purity of cranes in a breathtakingly exquisite way. The third act combined the Manchu primitive shaman drum dance with the Sichuan opera art of face-changing and fire-spitting, merging primitive civilization with traditional performance art vividly. The fourth act, aerial ballet, with its depiction of the love between pine and birch, consistently moved the audience, drawing continuous thunderous applause. The finale combined women’s sleeve dance with the large tobacco pipe dance, showcasing the magical culture of Changbai, and ended with the Korean ethnic group’s hat dance, bringing the performance to a rousing close. The entire production was uniquely conceived and deeply humanistic.
The *Heaven and Earth: Changbai* tourism-themed evening show had a total investment of nearly 300 million yuan. With a powerful lineup, cutting-edge technology, and distinctive features, it premiered on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013, at the Changbai Mountain Grand Theater in the Wanda Changbai Mountain International Resort. The success of the show provided audiences with a brand-new artistic experience and is a “must-see first show of Changbai Mountain.”
*Heaven and Earth: Changbai* is a large-scale, fully immersive tourism-themed evening show meticulously created by the Wanda Changbai Mountain International Resort. Based on Changbai Mountain’s unparalleled natural scenery, its passionate and unrestrained ethnic culture, and its world-renowned specialty products, the show delves deeply into the region’s rich history, cultural heritage, and folk elements. Centered around the unique artistic symbol of the “ginseng,” the overall structure, artistic concept, and narrative flow of the show were carefully designed. It highlights artistry, entertainment, and folklore, and was planned by a national-level creative team. The production integrates dance, acrobatics, magic, special effects, and more, utilizing the latest technological methods. Every aspect of the stage performance — including direction, choreography, acting, sound, lighting, effects, set design, costumes, and props — was executed with precision, aiming to achieve a performance that is “stunning,” “moving,” and “delightful.” Making full use of modern high-tech performance technologies such as three-dimensional stages, surround sound, and 3D video, and through various functions like lowering, pushing, pulling, panning, and tracking — including specially designed hidden performance spaces within the audience seating — the artistic impact of the entire show was maximized. The production strives to build and expand a multi-dimensional, multi-directional artistic expression space, continuously delivering unexpected and powerful visual shocks to the audience. It creates a magical, dreamlike, and grand atmosphere, providing a strong audiovisual impact and emotional resonance.
The *Heaven and Earth: Changbai* show is destined to become the cultural emblem of the Wanda Changbai Mountain International Resort and will be developed into a cultural calling card facing the nation and the world.