Published on Aug 18, 2026

Rating:

Genre: Dance & Ballet

Dates: Saturday September 12, 2026

Venue: Shunyi Grand Theatre

Prices: 180, 280, 380, 480, 580, 680

Features: The Red Detachment of Women is the first and most successful full-length Chinese ballet, the National Ballet of China will presents this classic ballet at Shunyi Grand Theatre on Saturday September 12nd, 2026.

SYNOPSIS

The Red Detachment of Women is a Chinese famous ballet which was premiered by National ballet of China in 1964. It is perhaps best known in the West as the ballet performed for U.S. President Richard Nixon on his visit to China in February 1972.

Regarded as a classic Chinese ballet, The Red Detachment of Women have both the theme and content reflecting a very unique Chinese style. The dancers even lived for months in military camps to learn swordplay in order to portray the soldiers vividly on stage.

Since its birth, the ballet has been highly acclaimed for its moving and tragic plot, magnificent stage design, and graceful choreography. Its music, undoubtedly, also contributes a lot to the ballet's success and popularity.

SYNOPSIS
It depicts a woman's journey into the People's Liberation Army. The story comes from the 1930s in China's southernmost Hainan Island. Wu Qionghua, the female lead, flees her home and joins the local Red Army troop, gradually becoming an outstanding soldier with the Red Detachment of Women. Instead of weak, fragile women dressed in fluttery tutus, women were depicted in military uniforms with rifles. Instead of frail motions, women had strong arms and clenched fists. This play shook the entire foundation of bourgeois art.

Presenter

National Ballet of China
The National Ballet of China was founded in December of 1959. All of the company's outstanding artists come from professional academies. During decades of care and support from the government and friends from all social sectors, the company has never ceased enriching its solid Russian foundations with works of different schools and styles. The company’s repertoire includes classics like Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, Carmen, Onegin, and The Little Mermaid, as well as original creations like The Red Detachment of Women, The New Year Sacrifice, Yellow River, Raise the Red Lantern, The Peony Pavilion, The Chinese New Year (Chinese version of The Nutcracker) and The Crane Whisperer. By both performing Western ballets and creating works of its own with distinct national characteristics, the company has found a successful path for the development of Chinese ballet. It is fusing the classical and the modern, and cultures from all over the world.

Over more than 50 years, the company is proud to have made great achievements in talent training and stage productions, as well as in ballet promotion and education. Numerous ballet dancers, choreographers, musicians and stage artists have won major international awards, and have collaborated with international stars in their respective fields. The company has a repertoire of nearly 200 ballets, several of which are now known as classic Chinese works of art, and have become famous internationally.

Tickets for National Ballet of China - The Red Detachment of Women are Available now