Composer Yang Fan integrated folk music from the Jiangnan (south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) region to create a natural flow of emotions in the ballet.

"I am from a military family," he says. "I used to see pictures of old comrades-in-arms in my grandparents' photo albums. I don't know their names, but I hope the ballet will remind people of their service and sacrifice."

Commissioned by the municipal publicity administration, the production "tells about the Chinese revolution in the global language of ballet dancing, and finds resonance with today's young audiences", says Ji Pingping, director of the Shanghai Ballet.