Ballet legend bows out

Based on a 1961 film of the same name, which was directed by Xie Jin, it tells the story of a rural girl, Wu Qionghua, who escapes a life of slavery and joins an all-female Communist Party army battalion led by commander Hong Changqing on Hainan Island during the civil war in the early 1930s.

To better understand and portray the female soldiers, Li led the composer Wu Zuqiang, choreographers Jiang Zuhui and Wang Xixian, as well as ballet dancers Bai Shuxiang, Zhong Runliang and Liu Qingtang on a trip to Hainan.

"The dancers took off their ballet shoes and put on army boots. They received strict training just like soldiers," says Feng Ying, a veteran ballet dancer and the director of the National Ballet of China, who has also performed the leading female role of Wu Qionghua.

"Li also incorporated the moves of Peking Opera into his choreography, which was pioneering," adds Zhao Ruheng, renowned ballet dancer and former director of the National Ballet of China, who took the position after Li's 10-year tenure ended in 1994.