700 years later, this ＂blue＂ remains the most stunning hue

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Centered around the Yongle Palace in Ruicheng, Shanxi—one of the first batch of national key cultural relic protection units—the dance drama Yongle Everlasting made a stunning debut with its excerpt Quenched Blue on Shanxi TV's 2026 Yellow River Folk Song Spring Festival Gala. The narrative thread of the drama follows the monumental conservation effort of relocating the entire Yongle Temple complex in the 1950s. Through dialogues spanning over seven centuries, it ingeniously connects four aesthetic dimensions: "Ancient Architecture: Building Grand Structures," "Murals: Reaching Artistic Perfection," "Glazed Tiles: Refining the Heart's Essence," and "Inheritance: Continuing Through Time."

The work deeply integrates modern visual arts with the essence of traditional aesthetics, transforming the static cultural relics and ancient structures into a flowing poetic language of the body, thereby creating a unique stage language where "time and space resonate." Centered on the theme of inheritance—"Guarding the Splendor of Time, Painting Together Through the Ages"—the drama passionately celebrates the enduring and ever-flowing spirit of Chinese civilization on the land of Shanxi.

The featured excerpt, "Quenching Blue," focuses on the unique and brilliant color imagery of "peacock blue glaze." Guided by this hue that has enchanted for millennia, the piece uses dance vocabulary to vividly portray a profound poetic narrative about the revival of ancient techniques, the solitary vigil of artisans, and the continuity of Chinese civilization. On stage, enhanced by cutting-edge light and shadow technology and empowered by AI, the mysterious and radiant peacock blue glaze is brought "back to light" through the dancers' movements. Each flash of blue is not only the magnificent awakening of a thousand-year-old glaze but also the ultimate expression of craftsmanship and the brilliant blossoming of civilizational vitality. "Quenching Blue" stands as a touching example of the creative transformation and innovative development of cultural heritage through art.

来源：环球邮报中文网