On October 18, during the significant online thematic event “Shining on the Long March Road, Advancing on the New Journey — The Red Ribbon on Earth,” journalists from various domestic media and influential online personalities visited the Great Turning Point Theater at Phoenix Mountain Cultural Plaza in Zunyi City. Here, they experienced the live performance of “The Great Turning Point,” a compelling journey through time.
As the stage lights illuminated, dozens of “Red Army” soldiers charged across a suspended bridge towards the “battlefield.” A cascading curtain of water transformed into the Xiang River above the stage, as the soldiers navigated through bomb blasts and crossed floating bridges. The dynamic scenes of warfare, paired with the invigorating mist, instantly immersed the audience in the intensity of the Xiang River Campaign.
“The Great Turning Point” is paired with the Guizhou Long March Cultural Digital Art Museum’s “Red Ribbon,” collectively known as the “Twin Stars” of Guizhou’s Long March culture. The performance narrates the story of the Central Red Army’s fierce battles during the Xiang River, its strategic movements in Guizhou, and the pivotal Zunyi Conference. It details how the army executed flexible tactics, including two incursions into Zunyi, four crossings of the Chishui River, feigned attacks on Guiyang, pressures on Kunming, and daring river crossings before ultimately heading north. Throughout the play, the experiences of a Red Army medical officer, referred to as “Little Hua Tuo,” reflect the struggles of soldiers both in combat and in their personal lives. Each scene is the product of extensive historical research, with mere minutes and seconds of performance backed by thousands of words of documentation and the efforts of countless experts.
To enhance the audience’s experience, the production team for “The Great Turning Point” incorporated an innovative large-scale water performance system, utilizing 15 high-pressure pumps and specialized nozzles for water effects. This allowed attendees to feel the surging waters of the Xiang, Wu, Chishui, and Jinsha rivers right from their seats.
Xia Ying, Deputy Director of the Operations Management Department at Guizhou Great Turning Point Cultural Development Co., Ltd., and Deputy Leader of the Great Turning Point Art Troupe, explained, “We have created a more comprehensive, three-dimensional, and vivid representation of the Red Army’s Long March story. The entire stage design is custom-tailored based on the production’s narrative, featuring rotating stages, hanging platforms, and moving front and back lips, extending the performance area into the audience space so they can closely experience the hardships the Red Army faced.”
According to Xia, through modern stage creativity and innovative technology, the performance features an immersive effect that integrates “people, sound, light, water, electricity, images, and scenery.” Since its premiere on January 15 of this year at the Great Turning Point Theater in Zunyi, the production has staged over 700 performances, attracting more than 300,000 visitors.
One audience member remarked, “It was worth the trip. I plan to bring my children here to experience this vibrant display of red cultural education…”
The innovative water stage performance and modern lighting techniques created a grand and deeply moving atmosphere, leaving the media group in attendance profoundly impacted.
Huang Deng, a reporter from Nanning’s Media Center, said, “It was truly shocking. The synergy of sound, light, and electricity, combined with the interaction between actors and the audience, truly recreates the pivotal history of this great turning point of the Long March.” She added that both Guangxi and Guizhou have rich revolutionary cultural resources, and the innovative methods used in the production are valuable examples for telling historical stories.
