BLOSSOM: Stage photo of Silk Road (FILE)

The updated production of Chinese dance drama Silk Road will be performed at the David H. Koch Theater (Lincoln Center) from February 27 to March 3.

Inspired by the magnificent Dunhuang Mogao Grottos in northwest China's Gansu Province, the award-winning classical dance drama is a tale of friendship forged between China and the people of various countries during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) along the Silk Road, the vital 7,000-km trade route that connected China with Central Asian, West Asian and even Mediterranean nations.

Silk Road follows master muralist Zhang, his daughter Yingniang, and Persian merchant Yunus. Chinese folk music, symphony, and the stunning lighting combine to create a fresh and real atmosphere, and the traditional Chinese costumes for the sixty dancers contain modern elements.

First staged in 1979, the show has been performed in some 200 cities around the world.

This performance is co-produced by the China Arts and Entertainment Group, the first large cultural enterprise under the Ministry of Culture and the Gansu Dance Theater. The theater was established in 1961 to research, create, and perform music and dance reflecting the culture of Dunhuang, a city known for its natural beauty and its historic role in the Silk Road. It has produced a number of works based on the legendary Dunhuang murals, cave paintings that date back centuries.

(Reporting from New York City)