As the 2026 Lunar New Year approaches, a groundbreaking collaboration between CGTN and mobile game giant Honor of Kings is breathing new life into the Hu Xuan Dance – a spinning art form that captivated Tang Dynasty (618-907) courts after journeying along the Silk Road. This digital revival, set to debut during CGTN's overseas Spring Festival Gala on February 17, merges historical authenticity with cutting-edge animation to showcase China's enduring cultural legacy.
The project's creative spark emerged during research at Dunhuang's Mogao Caves, where 21st-century gamers stood transfixed before 1,300-year-old murals. "When our character designer saw Cave 220's dancing figures," reveals Honor of Kings art director Li Wei, "we knew we'd found our bridge between past and present."
Historical records detail how this Central Asian-derived "whirl dance" became a Tang cultural phenomenon, its rapid spins and colorful silks embodying the dynasty's cosmopolitan spirit. Through motion-capture technology, contemporary dancers have reconstructed movements last performed for imperial audiences, while game developers painstakingly recreated period-accurate costumes and instruments.
"This isn't just nostalgia," notes Dunhuang Academy researcher Zhang Mei. "By making our shared heritage accessible through gaming platforms, we're fostering cross-cultural dialogue for the digital age." The collaboration comes as Asian countries increasingly leverage technology to preserve intangible cultural heritage, with Japan's kabuki VR projects and India's digital temple archives gaining global attention.
With Lunar New Year celebrations projected to draw 2 billion viewers worldwide, the Hu Xuan Dance revival offers diaspora communities a fresh connection to ancestral traditions while introducing global audiences to Silk Road history through universally relatable storytelling.
