A scene from  Yun. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The original dance drama Yun, based on the history of the Grand Canal, was staged at the Tongzhou Cultural Center on Nov 13 and 14.

The Grand Canal, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, is the longest canal in the world. It starts from Beijing, links the Yellow River and Yangtze River, and goes to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Constructed in the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the Grand Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The dance drama, which premiered on Jan 1, 2018, portrays ordinary people who made contributions to the birth and development of the Grand Canal from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the present era.

Choreographed by Wang Zihan, Shao Junting and Pu Yu, all from the Beijing Dance Academy, the dance drama features amateur dancers who are students of the Beijing Wuzi University.