A thrilling large-scale performance bringing the rise and fall of the Qin Dynasty to life
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A comprehensive guide to Great Qin, a thrilling performance about the rise and fall of the Qin Dynasty.
Great Qin (赳赳大秦) is a thrilling large-scale performance that brings to life the rise and fall of the Qin Dynasty, the first imperial dynasty of China. The show features epic battle scenes, imperial ceremonies, and breathtaking acrobatics in a state-of-the-art theater setting, telling the story of how Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified China and created the foundation for the Chinese empire.
The performance combines traditional Chinese theater with modern stage technology, including massive moving sets, hydraulic platforms, and 360-degree rotating stages. Through dramatic choreography, powerful music, and stunning visual effects, the show depicts the military conquests, political intrigues, and cultural achievements of the Qin Dynasty that shaped Chinese civilization for millennia.
Great Qin (赳赳大秦) is an 80-minute epic phantasmagoric performance told through the eyes of a single commoner. Inspired by China's oldest surviving family letter — the Heifu Wooden Slips excavated at Shuihudi — the show follows a humble tile-maker named Heifu (黑夫) as he is swept up in the tidal forces of Qin's rise and the unification of China. Audiences ride on moving seats through six immersive scenes, breaking the boundary between stage and spectator.
Prologue · 考古现世 (Archaeological Awakening) — The journey begins at a modern archaeological dig site. As relics are unearthed, the audience seats glide forward like a time tunnel, plunging visitors 2,200 years back into the world of the Qin Dynasty.
Act I · 秦人黑夫 (Heifu the Qin Man) — Young Heifu, once a war captive spared death for his skill in tile-making, settles in Qin and falls in love with a woman named He (和). Through his daily toil and tender romance, we witness how ordinary people carved out lives under Qin's sweeping legal and institutional reforms.
Act II · 万世王都 (Eternal Capital) — Heifu joins the construction of Qin's grand capital. Massive sets recreate artisans casting city walls and palaces while the policies of "standardized script, uniform gauge" forge a unified Chinese identity before the audience's eyes.
Act III · 荆轲刺秦 (Jing Ke's Assassination) — The legendary assassination attempt unfolds in a rain-soaked night. A black-clad assassin descends on wires directly above the audience seats, and parkour-style combat erupts amid thunder, lightning, and splashing water — pure adrenaline and theatrical spectacle.
Act IV · 蒹葭苍苍 (Reeds by the Water) — War tears Heifu from his beloved. Set to the ancient verse of the Book of Songs — "By the reeds, white frost has fallen" — this lyrical interlude captures the fleeting beauty and heartbreak of love in a time of chaos.
Finale · 赳赳大秦 (Great Qin) — Heifu falls on the battlefield, penning his famous family letter in his dying moments. Then the Terracotta Army awakens from the earth — their faces modeled on fallen soldiers — as an eternal guardian force of the Chinese nation. The seats glide backward as history fades, returning to the present-day dig site: a dream of empire, seen through one man's sacrifice.
Performance Scene · Opening
Northeast Corner, Intersection of Tiantai Road & Fengdong Avenue, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province
Year-round
Book ahead in peak season
CNY 388-688 per person varies by seat category
Premium seats with center view
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