Dance drama celebrates green miracle in Xinjiang’s Kekeya

The Spring Wind Greens Kekeya, an original song-and-dance drama, was staged in Beijing on July 9. Through an immersive theatrical experience, the production brings to life the remarkable four-decade transformation of the once-barren Kekeya area in Aksu prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, into a thriving green oasis.

The drama unfolds through a moving, time-spanning dialogue between two fictional characters. Guided by their conversations, the audience travels back to the early 1980s, when the Kekeya greening project was launched on a barren, wind-swept stretch of land near Aksu.

At its heart is the story of people from all ethnic groups who devoted themselves to planting trees and reclaiming the unforgiving Gobi landscape.

For 40 years, generations of people in Aksu battled fierce winds, drifting sand, and extreme conditions to grow forests where only barren land once existed. Their perseverance transformed the desert into flourishing green land, creating a beautiful and more prosperous home shared by communities of all ethnic backgrounds.

The performance is divided into six chapters and combines ethnic dances, poetry recitations, original music, and cutting-edge multimedia stage technology. The production paints a moving panorama of desert control, water diversion, soil improvement, fruit industry development, and ecological revitalization.

The production is directed by Chen Jianian, a renowned ballet educator and artistic director of the dance school at Shanghai Theatre Academy. His international artistic vision shapes the production's narrative, visual language, and performance rhythm. The script is co-written by Wei Rui, a scriptwriter, and Yuan Gangliang, a playwright from Aksu.

The production took two years to plan, develop and refine. It premiered in Aksu in January 2025 and has since toured Xinjiang and other Chinese cities, presenting more than 20 performances.