Classic Chinese dance drama Silk Road, Flower Rain is staged in Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu province, on Sept 20, 2016. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/Chinaculture.org]

Acclaimed Chinese dance drama Silk Road, Flower Rain was staged in Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu province on Sept 19 and 20, as a prelude to a series of cultural performances during the first Silk Road International Cultural Expo which runs in the city from Sept 20 to Oct 10.

The classic dance drama, hailed by many as China’s Swan Lake, has been performed over 2,800 times in more than 40 countries and regions since its debut in 1979, reaching over 4 million audience members worldwide. The show featured new choreography based on previous editions.

The classic show tells the story of a painter surnamed Zhang and his daughter who saved a dying Persian merchant along the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 - 907).