A landmark production of Turandot, directed by martial arts superstar Jackie Chan, premieres at the Guangzhou Grand Theater from May 8 to 10, 2026, marking the opening of the 2026 Guangzhou Art Festival.
Chan’s visually enchanting operatic debut reimagines Puccini’s final and most Eastern-inspired work. Chan’s unique understanding of Chinese martial arts lends the opera a certain aesthetic, depicted in contemporary stage language.
The production dazzles from start to finish. Children in earth-toned robes carry glowing lanterns across a misty stage bathed in cool blue light, evoking the opera’s legendary moonlit Peking setting.
Battle scenes erupt with swirling crimson and gold projections, and with sword-wielding performers moving with choreographed intensity. A lone percussionist in a traditional silk jacket drives the action forward, while a soloist perches dramatically against a sky ablaze with burning clouds.
The production’s fiery finale, framed with golden phoenix imagery, brings an unmistakably Chinese visual vocabulary to Puccini’s score.
Following its Guangzhou run, the production will relocate to Xiamen and Chengdu before traveling to Italy, where it will open the 72nd Puccini Music Festival — a homecoming of the opera reborn.
China Daily’s Parker Zheng took the photos on Friday in Guangzhou.
