Recently, a dance drama based on the story of Zhang Qian, a royal envoy of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-25 AD) who traveled to the Western regions over 2,000 years ago and eventually led to the opening of the Silk Road, was put on stage in Urumqi.

"As a dancer of the Uygur ethnic group, participating in such a historical dance drama means a lot to me to tell Chinese stories and promote traditional Chinese culture," said actress Mayla Amatjan, one of the stars of the dance drama.

Mayla Amatjan, 35, showed her talent for dance when she was only 4 years old and moved to Beijing to study with professional dance teachers at the age of 11. After finishing the study and an internship for a short period in Beijing, she returned to her hometown Urumqi and joined in Xinjiang Art Theater as a dance actress.

"Xinjiang is a land of singing and dancing, where almost everyone are skilled in singing and dancing," said Mayla. In order to better showcase the traditional art of Xinjiang, she practised hard in the rehearsal room almost every day in the past 20 years, for more than 10 hours each time.

Now, as a principal dancer of the theater who has won many awards in competitions at home and abroad, Mayla has performed in more than 30 countries with her troupe to enable people around the world to feel the charm of traditional Chinese culture.

"Xinjiang's traditional arts are part of traditional Chinese culture. I would like to promote cultural exchanges through my dance, transcending different ethnic groups." Using her dance skill as a way to express, Mayla hopes to let more people know about the diverse cultures in China. 

(Source: Xinhua)