Dunhuang, Exotic Music and Dance (3 of 8)

This is the third in an eight-part series by China Central Television (CCTV) on the interplay between the murals in the Mogao Caves and contemporary art in China.

In this episode we look at the depictions of the whirling dances that are found in various caves, especially cave No 220, which has a mural of a large orchestra as well as of dancers performing the dance.

There are various theories about the origins of the dance during the Tang Dynasty, some think it may have come from Korea, while the most accepted idea is that it came from the nomadic tribes along the Silk Road.

In this regard we are taken on a tour of some of the music and dance forms still found in Xinjiang, China’s most westerly province, and it is compared with popular opera forms found in Han China.