Dunhuang comes alive

Historical figures audiences encounter during the performance include Zhang Qian, the first diplomat who was sent by an emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) to visit Central Asia. Photos provided to China Daily

A show which debuted at the first Silk Road Dunhuang International Cultural Expo gives visitors a real-life experience of the region's history. Deng Zhangyu reports from Dunhuang, in Gansu province.

If you want to experience what it feels like to encounter historical figures in the flesh and hear their stories in person, the Encore Dunhuang show is for you. Staged in a desert in Dunhuang, in Gansu province, the show lets you meet, talk to and feel the emotions of figures from Dunhuang's history.

The show lets you encounter characters from 2,000 years ago and from the recent past as well－like the Taoist priest who in 1900 found the Mogao Grottoes full of manuscripts, which are now dispersed in different museums across the world.

Within 90 minutes, members of the audience walk through four rooms in a time-travel-like performance, experiencing key moments from the history of the city, which was once an important stop along the Silk Road, a trade route that was used to transport goods between East and West.

Among the historical figures you encounter are Zhang Qian, the first diplomat who was sent by an emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) to visit Central Asia.

Then, you have an old general, telling his story of how he sent 10 groups of troops to Chang'an, the capital city of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), to inform the emperor that the Silk Road had been revived.

Just like models at a fashion event, the historical figures walk down a ramp while the spectators stand around.