Zhao Miao, co-director of the play, had collaborated with the Compagnie Philippe Genty in 2020 in the production of A Life on the Silk Road, which tells the story of Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) diplomat Zhang Qian's journey exploring the ancient trade route.

"I like productions about journeys. I think these stories seem to be exploring the outside world, but they are actually investigating one's inner self and about one's personal growth. It's very interesting to see Tang arriving in new countries, not knowing who she'll meet, what she'll encounter and how she'll deal with these new circumstances," Zhao says.

"At our first rehearsal, I addressed the children as 'dear actors'. I found that they were devoted to this project with utmost seriousness and commitment. By giving them responsibilities, we can allow the children to discover their own motivation, so they can support and complement one another as a team, which is very important."

The child actors were gathered at a training camp last August, which provided them with a range of courses including traditional Chinese opera, stilts, puppetry, body shaping and vocal training.

In the camp, they were placed in diverse acting scenarios, gathering inspiration and designing the local customs for the dozens of countries in the book. Some of the ideas were adopted for the final production.