“Fantastic Liaozhai”: Bringing the Classical Supernatural Tales of China to Life Amid Mountains and Waters

Step into the hometown of Pu Songling, the great literary master of the Qing Dynasty. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio—an Eastern fantasy classic that has endured for centuries—is being awakened in Zibo in a brand-new way. The large-scale landscape water performance Fantastic Liaozhai brings the fox spirits and scholars from the pages out of the book and onto the stage, standing between mountains and rivers.

With natural landscapes as its backdrop, the Fantastic Liaozhaiperformance unfolds on a grand water stage, blending Eastern ink-wash aesthetics with modern stage technology. Fountains surge into the air, fire effects spread across the water's surface, and performers soar through the sky on wires, accompanied by an original soundtrack that fuses traditional folk music with contemporary arrangements—building a Liaozhai wonderland where illusion and reality intertwine.