Residents in Tai'an, Shandong province will have an opportunity to take a close look at the extensive and profound Chinese martial arts as the large-scale stage play, The Legend of Kung Fu, will be performed nightly at the Taishan Grand Theater starting on the New Year's Day.

A news conference was convened on Dec 25 by the play's producer Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Co, a state-level performing arts company entitled with the right to import and export stage show productions.

A still from The Legend of Kung Fu. The spectacle of kung fu's graceful, athletic moves translates equally well to the stage. [Photo/dzwww.com]

The show, which claims to be China's longest-running one of its kind, tells the story of a young monk overcoming his ego and becoming a great master.

According to the producer, The Legend of Kung Fu is a production featuring acrobatics, dancing and classic kung fu fighting, thrilling the audiences at both home and abroad. Since its debut in 2004, the show has been performed more than 8,000 times around the globe.

Xiao Wen, CEO of Huaxi Brothers, the architect of the play's import to Tai'an, praised that the play is a high level performance with wonderful story layout, perfect stage design, professional martial arts actors, and real kung fu actions and scenes.

A stage still of The Legend of Kung Fu. The play tells the story of a young monk conquering a series of trials and hardships to become a great master. [Photo/dzwww.com]

According to Xiao, the play in Tai'an will adopt unique local features in its stage design, such as temples, rare rocks, waterfalls and floating clouds on Mount Tai, in a bid to give local audiences a wonderful experience.

"Whether you are a martial arts enthusiast or not, you will be strongly impacted both mentally and physically when you watch the play," said Xiao.

"The spectacle of kung fu's graceful, athletic moves translates equally well to the stage. What's more, the show's themes of hardship and growth are universal in the pursuit of spiritual perfection, so it will surely resonate with the audience."

The large-scale stage play, The Legend of Kung Fu, will be performed in Tai'an, Shandong province since New Year's Day, according to a news conference convened on Dec 25 by the play's producer Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Co. [Photo by Li Jize/dzwww.com]