Shanghai Ballet laying the ground for battlefield story

Shanghai Ballet is working on a new dance theater production adapted from a battlefield story during the War of Liberation (1946-49).

The short story named Lily was written by Ru Zhijua in 1958, and tells about a young military nurse's brief encounter with a soldier and a peasant woman as they were on a mission to borrow blankets from villagers during the war.

Commissioned by the municipal publicity administration, the production will feature the combination of Chinese folk dance elements and the classical ballet. It is expected to premiere next year.