Great Port in the East, a dance drama created by the Ningbo Performance & Arts Group, will be staged in Chengdu, Sichuan province on Mar 1, marking the first stop on its national tour.

The drama tells the story of the construction and development of Ningbo Zhoushan Port, one of the world's largest ports by cargo tonnage, since the beginning of the reform and opening-up. Through a diverse range of dances, it illuminates the daily work and lives of port workers.

Song Guanlin, vice chairman of the China Culture Administration Association, said that it is difficult to choreograph the industrial-themed dance drama. It integrates the struggles of ordinary people into the history of a great era and showcases the spirit of workers.

The dance drama has also made attempts at breakthroughs in narrative structure, stage aesthetics, and movement design.

Director Qian Xin reminisced on the heartfelt response from a retired port worker. The worker said that the portrayal of the port scene on stage made them feel like they were reliving their days of hard work in their youth.

After the performance at the Chengdu City Concert Hall, the dance drama will also be staged in cities like Wenzhou, Quanzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai.