The dance drama The Legend of the White Snake from the Guangzhou Ballet Theatre was recently selected for the 18th China Theatre Festival.

That made it the only selected work this year from Guangzhou - capital of South China's Guangdong province - and the only dance work selected nationwide.

The Legend of the White Snake is a famous Chinese folk tale. It revolves around the love story of Bai Suzhen, a white snake spirit and Xu Xian, a human man. They overcome challenges and prejudices to get married.

An evocative poster for the production of The Legend of the White Snake.  [Photo/WeChat account: gzhzfb]

The drama has also been selected for the Large-scale Stage Play and Production Programme funded by the China National Arts Fund in 2023, as well as in Guangzhou's sixth batch of key support projects for literary and artistic masterpieces.

It was funded by the Guangzhou Cultural and Tourism Industry Development Special Fund in 2022.

The 18th China Theatre Festival is set to take place in Hangzhou, in East China's Zhejiang province in November. The event is the largest and most prestigious artistic event in China's theatre industry, held every two years.

The drama has been staged in Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hangzhou, among other cities. It will return to Guangzhou for another performance on Oct 6.

Performers pose for a stage photo of The Legend of the White Snake.  [Photo/WeChat account: gzhzfb]