From April 17 to 31, three performances of “The Painting Journey”, a dance-drama based on Wang Ximeng’s artwork, will be back at Shanghai Culture Square. Prolific during the Song Dynasty, Ximeng pushed the envelope with his 11.9 meter long painting “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains”. “The Painting Journey” takes this painting and transforms it into a nonlinear performance — while the dancers are set hundreds of years ago when Ximeng was just finishing the painting, the audience takes the perspective of a modern Palace Museum researcher set in the present day. The main creative team behind “The Painting Journey” includes Zhou Liya, Han Zhen, Xu Junrui, Lv Liang, Gao Guangjian, Ren Dongshen, and more artists. “The Painting Journey” was jointly produced by the China Oriental Performing Arts Group and the Palace Museum. Performances begin at 7.30pm each night.

• Stage & Dance