Opera brings Song-era splendor to modern stage

When the curtain rose on the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Aug 8, the stage blossomed into a living painting.

In the newly staged Chinese opera Menghualu, or A Dream of Splendor, adapted from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) setting of the popular Chinese TV drama, every scene shimmered with silk banners, lacquered props, and the warm glow of lanterns, evoking a world so vivid it transported the audience back to the Song era.