A show of courage

Several of the scenes, such as Ciqikou wharf, a ship and a memorial archway, take place on sets which sit on five smaller, rotatable stages, the heights of which vary from 16 meters to 20. The lightest of them weighs in at a not insignificant 20 metric tonnes.

"It is technically difficult," says Yuan Baoyu, the chief producer. "It's like keeping five six-story trains running at the speed of 1.2 meters per second on five respective tracks within the theater, without making any scratch or sound. They have to be absolutely safe and stable."

"It is a totally new take on the traditional stage play," says Zhang Xiaoke, chief planner of Chongqing 1949. "It is a combination of musical drama, dance drama and opera," Zhang says. "We use international stage art to tell this awe-inspiring story of the modern era and cater to a young audience. Montage techniques are also applied."

"I was impressed the very first time I saw the scripts," says well-known pop singer Sha Baoliang, who plays the leading role in the show, noting that it is the most exciting, complicated stage he has ever stood on.

"The feelings are too strong to describe."

Producer Song Xiaoping looks forward to the show becoming a cultural brand in the municipality, where no such "red tourism" show has been created before.