Can a German-Nigerian choreographer create a new play based on China's most celebrated imperial love story?

Patrick de Bana, the choreographer who has taken up the challenge, is confident he can - and so is Shanghai Ballet, which gave him the commission.

Echoes of Eternity is the first modern ballet adaptation of the poem Changhen Ge (The Song of Everlasting Regret) by Bai Juyi (AD 772-846), which tells the story of Yang Guifei and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). The production will premiere at Shanghai Grand Theater on July 30.