A stage photo from the Chinese version of 'War Horse'. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese version of world renowned stage play 'War Horse' will kick off National Theatre of China in Beijing on September 4th.

The play is the toast of the West End and Broadway, which has taken one and a half year to be adapted into the Chinese version.

The puppet-powered play was based on a best-selling 1982 novel with the same name. It narrates the story as it happened during the First World War, through the eyes of a horse.

The Chinese director of the show, Li Dong, shares the highlights of the show.

"The producing volume of this play is some 15 times larger than usual plays. The play is fantastic; sometimes you may even forget that the horse is being manipulated by people. The most touching part is the emotion between the horse and its owner, which is interwoven within the storyline. I think this is what the audience will keep in mind after watching the show. "

He also indicates the life-size horse puppets were created by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, and are worth some 3.6 million yuan.

The Chinese adaptation of 'War Horse' is also planned to be staged in Shanghai and Guangzhou.