The Hong Kong Dance Company's grand dance poem Qingming Riverside makes its triumphant staging for the third time. From 23 to 25 April 2010 at the Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Qingming Riverside will once more be the talk of the town. Presented more than 30 performances in Hong Kong and on tour, this crown jewel of the Hong Kong dance community certainly is something to be proud of.

Qingming Riverside premiered at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in July 2007 to commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR. In November and December 2007, the production toured to four major Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing, including performances at the Shanghai International Creative Industry Week and The Fifth Beijing International Dance Festival.

In July 2008, Qingming Riverside toured to the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture; the HKDC was the only dance troupe representing Hong Kong at the “Meet in Beijing 2008” Arts Festival, bringing Hong Kong creativity to audiences in mainland China, facilitating cultural exchange and fostering connections with mainland counterparts.

Qingming Riverside is popularly received and praised as “a stage wonder arises from a painting masterpiece”. The pioneering aspects of the production were recognised by the 2008 Hong Kong Dance Award. The dance poem returned to the Hong Kong stage in January 2009; and in November and December, the production was invited by the Guangdong Cultural Bureau to perform and compete at The Tenth Guangdong Arts Festival at Dongguan's Yulan Grand Theatre, where it won three major awards: Special Grand Prize for Artistic Value, First Prize for Choreography and Direction and Second Prize for Performance for the Principal Dancer. 

This year, Qingming Riverside will participate in The Ninth China Arts Festival with a performance at the Guangzhou Baiyun Convention Centre on 8 May at the invitation of the Guangdong Cultural Bureau. The production is also taking part in the cultural presentations at the 2010 Shanghai Expo at the invitation of the Hong Kong SAR Government, with two performances at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on 9 and 10 July. 

Prior to the tours in mainland China, the HKDC is pleased to offer Hong Kong audiences the chance to enter the world of Qingming Riverside for the third time, and is looking forward to bringing this living scroll painting to new audiences in China. Featuring over a hundred dancers and creative personnel, the opulent spectacle Qingming Riverside is a gateway to the prosperous utopian past and a salute to the long and profound history of Chinese culture.