THIS July, Shenzhen audiences will have a rare opportunity to experience a modern masterpiece as acclaimed Chinese choreographer Yang Liping brings her audacious experimental stage work, “Under Siege,” to Shenzhen Poly Theater.

The production reimagines the legendary Chu–Han Contention (206–202 B.C.) — the pivotal power struggle that gave rise to the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. – A.D. 220) — not as a historical epic, but as a universal meditation on the inner and outer “siege” that trouble modern life. By fusing modern dance, Peking Opera, paper-cutting, and installation art, Yang transforms a 2,000-year-old tale into a contemporary philosophical inquiry.

At the heart of the production is a striking visual metaphor: 10,000 hanging scissors. Designed by installation artist Liu Beili, the blades dangle above the stage like a suspended field of threat and violence, conjuring the fear and hostility that can lie beneath human interactions. The work’s haunting beauty is further heightened by stage and costume design by Tim Yip, the Oscar- and BAFTA-winning artist behind “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” while atmospheric lighting by Fabiana Piccioli deepens its emotional intensity.

Adding authenticity, Peking Opera performer Qiu Jirong appears as the narrator, Xiao He, weaving traditional vocal artistry seamlessly into the production’s contemporary tapestry.

Rather than relying on a straightforward narrative, “Under Siege” explores psychological conflict through a duet between two incarnations of the same historical figure — “Red Han Xin” and “Black Han Xin” — representing the strategist’s fractured soul and diverging ambitions. The stage floor is blanketed in red feathers, intensifying the visual impact of battle and sacrifice.

Key figures also include the proud, doomed king Xiang Yu; the calculating future emperor Liu Bang; and the self-sacrificing consort Yu Ji, whose tragic death is rendered through an ethereal, nearly nude solo that audiences have hailed as the production’s emotional peak.

Though rooted in the climactic Battle of Gaixia (202 B.C.) — the same historical event that inspired Chen Kaige’s Golden Globe-winning film “Farewell My Concubine” — Yang’s work avoids epic retelling. Instead, it becomes a philosophical inquiry: Are we truly powerless against fate? Is betrayal inevitable? As Yang herself has framed it, the story of “Under Siege” has never ended. The most terrifying siege, she suggests, is the one we lay for ourselves.

Time: 8 p.m., July 3–4; 2:30 p.m., July 4

Venue: Shenzhen Poly Theater, Nanshan District (深圳保利剧院)

Metro: Line 2, 11, or 13 to Houhai Station (后海站), Exit E(Tang Li)