只此青绿 Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting

Synopsis

Adapted from the phenomenal dance poem drama, inspired by the creation of "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" by Northern Song painter Wang Ximeng, this work deconstructs the ultimate Eastern aesthetics through cinematic language.

Overview

"Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting" (Chinese: 只此青绿) is a 2024 Chinese mainland dance drama film directed by Zhou Liya and Han Zhen. Adapted from the phenomenally popular stage production of the same name, the film is inspired by the story of Northern Song dynasty prodigy painter Wang Ximeng's creation of "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains." Through a "film-performance synergy" model, it brings stage art to the big screen. The film was released in mainland China on October 1, 2024.

The film stars Zhang Han as Ximeng, Meng Qingyang as Qinglv (Blue-Green), and Xie Suhao as the Scroll Unroller. It has been hailed as one of the best new films of the 2024 National Day holiday period, with a Douban score of 8.0, breaking the cumulative box office record for domestic musical films in the past three years.

Plot

The film follows a modern cultural relic researcher (the Scroll Unroller) studying the famous painting "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" from the Palace Museum collection. During his research, he travels across a thousand years of time and space to enter the inner world of the prodigy young painter Ximeng.

Ximeng, a genius painter of the Northern Song dynasty, created the timeless masterpiece of blue-green landscape painting "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" at the age of eighteen. He poured his entire life's passion into this scroll, using his ultimate artistic pursuit to interpret the Eastern aesthetic concept of "only this blue-green."

Through dance, music, and cinematic language, the film showcases the magnificence of blue-green landscapes, the exquisite craftsmanship of traditional intangible cultural heritage techniques such as ink-making, silk-weaving, and seal-carving, as well as Ximeng's relentless pursuit of art.

Cast

Production & Reception

Since its premiere in 2021, the stage production of "Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting" has become a phenomenon, winning prestigious honors including the 17th Wenhua Award. The film version was created by the original stage production team, with directors Zhou Liya and Han Zhen transforming stage art into cinematic language.

The film adopts a "film-performance synergy" model. Through camera movements including pans, tilts, and close-ups, audiences can both experience the grandeur of the stage and capture subtle details such as the dancers' expressions and costume textures. The film integrates various traditional Chinese cultural elements including dance, painting, seal-carving, silk-weaving, and ink-making.

The film received a score of 8.0 on Douban, making it the highest-rated new film during the 2024 National Day holiday. Its initial box office revenue was approximately 43 million RMB, setting a new box office record for domestic musical films in the past three years.

Awards

Cultural Impact

The success of "Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting" exemplifies the modern expression of traditional Chinese cultural IP. From stage to screen, it has allowed audiences to rediscover the contemporary charm of Chinese classical art.

The "blue-green" imagery in the film originates from the unique blue-green color palette of "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains." The fact that these mineral pigments remain unfaded after a thousand years has become a symbol of Chinese cultural confidence. After the film's release, "only this blue-green" became a trending topic on social media, sparking young people's interest in traditional Chinese painting and intangible cultural heritage.

References

1. Douban Movie: https://movie.douban.com/subject/36401998/
2. Baidu Baike: https://baike.baidu.com/item/只此青绿/62977676
3. Shangguan News: https://m.jfdaily.com/news/detail?id=807319
4. Tide News: https://tidenews.com.cn/news.html?id=3242335