Ballet will remember martyr's sacrifice

"I have choreographed dance works revolving around female characters," says Wang. "When the Suzhou Ballet Theatre approached in July 2020, I was intrigued by the story of Ding Xiang. She is a martyr and she also a woman." Wang was born and raised in Tianjin and was sent to dance classes as a young child by her mother.

Wang found dancing interesting and learned styles from different countries, and her talent was recognized at 9 when she was enrolled to study at the Beijing Dance Academy, where she received training in classical Chinese dance, ballet and contemporary dance.

She has won national dance competitions, including first prize at the seventh Taoli Cup National Dancing Competition in 2003, the year she graduated from Beijing Dance Academy and started teaching in the university. She is still a member of the Youth Dance Company of the Beijing Dance Academy. At 25 Wang rose to fame by performing as the dance double for actress Zhang Ziyi in Chinese film director Zhang Yimou's 2003 film, House of Flying Daggers. For the past decade, Wang has run a project, titled Yabin and Her Friends, bringing together Chinese and international choreographers to create a new dance piece every year.