Song Yingxing

Actors perform during the dance drama "The Exploitation of Nature's Works" ("Tian Gong Kai Wu") in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 1, 2024. (Jiangxi Cultural Performance Group/Handout via tasteallchina ) NANCHANG, July 14 ( tasteallchina ) -- Sounds of labor, such as farming, sericulture, smelting and pulling bellows, blended with the rhythm as dancers joyously depicted the contentment and comfort that ancient people derived from these activities. The dance drama adaptation of the Chinese science classic "The Exploitation of Nature's Works" ("Tian Gong Kai Wu"), commenced its nationwide tour Friday in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, bringing to life a nearly 400-year-old masterpiece. The book, compiled by Song Yingxing, a scientist in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), was first published in 1637 during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen. It offers a summary of ancient China's manufacturing and farming techniques, earning recognition as an encyclopedia of science and technology from that time. Known as the world's first comprehensive treatise on agriculture and handicraft production, the pioneering work has since been translated into multiple languages including English, Japanese, French, German and Russian. The eponymous drama, co-produced by Jiangxi Cultural Performance Group and Beijing Dance Academy, is helmed by Chinese filmmaker Lu…