Theater group uses panda tracks to find its way through Chinese history

The show Panda's Home leads audiences through a sensory journey into theatrical environments.  [Photo provided to China Daily]

As for how Panda's Home came about, it was Ren who proposed the idea of producing a show based on traditional Chinese culture to Gandi.

Explaining her idea, Ren, who is the mother of a 4-year-old boy, says: "Most Chinese parents teach their children English and Western instruments, such as the violin and the piano. However, Chinese culture is often ignored. We take it for granted that we know it because we are Chinese. But it is not true. Chinese culture is profound and has a long history, which deserves to be valued more."

A Beijing native, Ren, 36, graduated with a master's degree in marketing from the University of Leicester, and founded her company, TONG, in early 2015, meaning "children" in Chinese.

It also stands for "To Our Next Generation", and is devoted to importing and producing children's theater.

As for the proposal, Gandi did not reply Ren for three months because he spent that time researching and learning about Chinese culture, and when Ren flew to Italy to visit Gandi at TPO's headquarters in October 2016, she was surprised to see that Gandi's studio was filled of books and pictures about China.

As coproduction partner, Ren then helped develop the script for Panda's Home.