With a history of over 25-hundred years, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is a man-made canal created centuries ago by the Chinese people. Now a Dance drama, "Meet the Grand Canal," paying tribute to the this man-made wonder, has debuted at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and is wrapping up it's 2-year national tour.

With a history of over 25-hundred years, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is a man-made canal created centuries ago by the Chinese people. Now a Dance drama, "Meet the Grand Canal," paying tribute to the this man-made wonder, has debuted at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and is wrapping up it's 2-year national tour.

A group of artists are trying to track down the history of the ancient canal. They encounter "Shui Ling" - who represents a drop of water from the Canal - and that's how the glorious past of the ancient waterway gets unveiled on the stage.

It's the dance drama "Meet the Grand Canal", but it's not just the elaborate choreography that is wowing the audience - it's the stage and costume design too.

"Meet the Grand Canal" by Hangzhou Opera and Dance Drama Theatre, debuted in 2014, when the Grand Canal was listed as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. This year marks the 2nd anniversary of its recognition, and this dance drama is a fitting reminder to mark its anniversary.

"The leading actor is an artist from the creation team, he represents modernity, the lead actress who plays a drop of water, represents history. The two main characters who fall in love represent modern people's affection towards the ancient canal and its history. Through the show, we not only introduce the history and culture incubated by the canal, but also raise societal awareness in order to better preserve the canal for future genrations," said Cui Wei, director of "Meet the Grand Canal".

It was a stunning 90 minutes for the packed opera house of the NCPA. Hiding in the audience is one of China's foremost dance critics and lecturer, Ou Jianping.

With a history of over 25-hundred years, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is a man-made canal created centuries ago by the Chinese people. Now a Dance drama, "Meet the Grand Canal," paying tribute to the this man-made wonder, has debuted at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, and is wrapping up it's 2-year national tour.

" First of all, I commend the cast and crew for taking on such a big task, and they certainly rose to the challenge. And I think Director Cui Wei really did a great job in telling the story through her choreography. What impressed me the most is the dance routine by the leading actor and actress, so elegant. It's great work," Ou said.

This dance drama in Beijing marks the end of the troupe's national tour, which has already reached more than 140 thousand audience members alongside the Grand Canal.

The two year journey for this crew concludes at the most northern tip of this ancient waterway...

Beijing is the last stop but it's by no means over. In fact, it's just the beginning! The world tour of the show is set to kick off next year, and the cast and crew will perform at the headquarters of the UNESCO in Paris, before heading off to various countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa.