Holographic projection is used in  the  Unique Mount E'mei show to showcase the beauty of traditional Chinese aesthetics. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In 2003, Wang codirected Impression Liu Sanjie with Zhang Yimou and Fan Yue, and it remains one of China's most popular and profitable tourist shows. The Impression series are not indoor. And they're all set on famous mountains or the banks of rivers or lakes, which serve as the natural stage backdrop.

Separately, in 2013, Wang produced Encore Pingyao in ancient Pingyao city, in Shanxi province. And it was the first time that she invited the audience to walk around in a space to watch performance, rather than being seated. After that, she produced the Encore series at popular destinations such as Dunhuang in Gansu province and Mount Wutai in Shanxi province.

For her current show, Wang and her team renovated Gaohe village at the foot of Mount E'mei into a 20,000-square-meter theater, with 27 courtyards, 48 houses and 395 rooms. And villagers have been relocated.

The story is set in 1980, two years after China's national policy of reform and opening-up was launched. And the audience sees dramas in several courtyards based on a true story about a construction company from Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, which came to the village to hire workers.

For young villagers at that time, it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to move away from being farmers in the mountains. And they are longing to go to the big cities to ensure a better lifestyle for their family. And they don't know they will never be able to overcome their yearning for home.

Viewers are divided into two groups and each group watch three different dramas. As the production team prepared 17 dramas in total for the show, it means that one will have to watch the show at least six times to see all of it.

After the performances, the audience can roam around the village freely and interact with the performers such as a barber, a street vendor and an old man playing Chinese chess. And the performers will share handwritten letters with the audience about things that weigh on their minds - for example, about a daughter's memory of her father, a soldier who does not return.