A spectacular outdoor performance retelling the legendary love story of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei
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A comprehensive guide to The Song of Everlasting Sorrow, a spectacular outdoor performance at Huaqing Palace.
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow (长恨歌) is a spectacular outdoor performance staged at Huaqing Palace, the historic hot spring resort where the legendary love story of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and his consort Yang Guifei unfolded. The show retells their passionate and tragic romance through hundreds of performers, stunning costumes, and breathtaking special effects, all set against the magnificent backdrop of Li Mountain and the palace's Nine-Dragon Lake.
First premiered in 2007, the performance has become one of Xi'an most beloved cultural attractions. The show uses the entire palace complex as its stage, with performers appearing from behind ancient architecture, on the lake, and even on the mountain itself. The combination of music, dance, lighting, and water effects creates an unforgettable immersive experience that brings Tang Dynasty romance to life.
Based on Bai Juyi's legendary poem of the same name, The Song of Everlasting Sorrow tells the sweeping tragic romance between Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and his beloved consort Yang Guifei. From their gilded days of courtly love to the brutal chaos of the An Lushan Rebellion and beyond death itself, the 70-minute production follows their heartbreaking journey across four acts, blending live dance, poetry, and jaw-dropping stage effects.
Act I · Love in the Golden Age — Set in the peak of Tang Dynasty splendor, Yang Guifei enters the court and wins the emperor's devotion. Highlights include the couple bathing in Huaqing Pool and exchanging the famous "two birds flying wing to wing" vow at the Hall of Eternal Life.
Act II · Rebellion & Collapse — The peaceful idyll is shattered by the An Lushan Rebellion. As war engulfs the capital, the emperor and Yang Guifei are forced to flee the palace in disguise, leaving the glory of Chang'an in ruins behind them.
Act III · Farewell at Mawei Slope — The story's emotional peak. At Mawei Post Station, the imperial guard mutinies and demands Yang Guifei's execution. Helpless to save her, the emperor watches as she takes her own life; their tearful parting across a curtain of falling water leaves scarcely a dry eye in the house.
Act IV · Immortal Reunion — In grief-stricken old age, Xuanzong's longing summons the Taoist priests, who carry him to a celestial realm where he is briefly reunited with Yang Guifei's spirit. The bittersweet, dreamlike farewell — underscored by fireworks, water jets, and aerial dance — leaves the audience with the haunting, everlasting regret that gives the performance its name.
Performance Scene · Flying Apsaras
No.2 South Street, Beilin District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province
March - November
Book early during holidays
CNY 300-1000 per person
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