The Bird's Nest version has toppled down many of its predecessors, replacing the blue and grey hues permeating the western versions with flamboyant, fiery and bright colors.

Zhang Yimou said, "We often joked about the color of the show, saying that it is the color of a seventeen-year-old. The colors of young people's clothes. Fashionable people also call it mix and match. That's what makes it intriguing."

An oil painting by late artist Chen Yifei features a woman playing bamboo flute.

The Bird's Nest version of "Turandot" will embark on a world tour shortly after its Beijing premiere. Shanghai is at the top of itinerary, for the upcoming 2010 World Expo. The production will then be performed in Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United States, and other countries before it moves to London.

Editor: Dong Jirong