Case Study: Xi Opera
Producer: Jiangsu Performing Arts Corporation.
Playwright: Luo Zhou.
Director: Han Jianying.
Lead performer: Zhou Dongliang.
On August 28, 2026, premiered at the Jiangsu Zijin Grand Theatre.
Wang Xizhi: The Eleventh Year of Yonghe is a large-scale original Xiju opera production based on the life and inner struggles of Wang Xizhi, one of China's most influential calligraphers. It produced by the Jiangsu Performing Arts Corporation and created by its Xiju Opera Troupe, the production is supported by the National Arts Fund's 2026 funding program and recognized as a major Jiangsu literary and artistic creation project for 2025. It is also the final chapter of the production team's "Trilogy of Literati."
The production brought together award-winning playwright Luo Zhou, renowned director Han Jianying and Xiju opera performer Zhou Dongliang, known as the "Prince of Xi Opera." Through the interaction of traditional Xi Opera singing and contemporary stage design, the production explores the lesser-known emotional world of Wang Xizhi after he completed the Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion.
DLW high-performance lighting system were selected to connect space and artist through light.
Technical Requirements
The lighting design needed to express more than historical atmosphere. It had to reveal the shifting inner state of the central character while maintaining the elegance and restraint associated with Wei-Jin culture and traditional Chinese aesthetics.
included:
High color accuracy to represent the performer's detailed look.
Precise light shaping for emotional scenes.
Smooth color transitions to represent different psychological states.
DLW Fixtures Used
DREAM 1400 PROFILE – used for high-CRI key lighting, precise framing and concentrated performer areas.
DREAM L1600P FLAG – used as a multifunctional fixture for color, beam, profile, wash and visual effects.
DLW L6010C4 LC – used to create layered linear light curtains and dynamic color effects.
DLW L1240C4 LC – used to extend the linear lighting system and enhance stage depth.
DLW 480 BSW HID – used for sharp beams, prism effects and dramatic aerial effects.
DLW L10100C4BAR IP – used to create the warm and restrained base color of the stage.
Why These Fixtures Were Selected
DREAM 1400 PROFILE
The DREAM 1400 PROFILE was selected for precise illumination of the lead performer and key stage areas.
Its high color-rendering performance, with Ra≥95, helped preserve the detail of facial expressions, costumes and stage materials. The full-range framing system allowed the lighting designer to define clean and controlled areas of light.
Its 7°–50° linear zoom range provided flexibility for both concentrated performer lighting and broader stage coverage. Two levels of controllable frost also allowed the light to move between a sharper theatrical edge and a softer, more atmospheric appearance.
This made the fixture especially valuable during Opera's monologues, when the visual field needed to narrow and focus attention on his inner conflict.
DREAM L1600P FLAG
The DREAM L1600P FLAG is a high-power multifunctional fixture for big theatrical production. Its continuous CMY color mixing system and dual frost effects enabled smooth transitions between cool, restrained tones and richer stage colors. Deeper cool colors helped express the invisible pressure and emotional confinement surrounding the play.
The fixture's combination of beam, spot, wash and framing functions also reduced the need to use separate fixtures for every visual task. This gave the lighting team greater flexibility when moving between intimate scenes, symbolic stage images and large-scale dramatic moments.
DLW L1240C4 LC
The DLW L1240C4 LC linear fixtures were used to build depth, rhythm and movement across the stage.
Their broad zoom capability and individual cell control helped create layered light curtains.
DLW 480 BSW HID
The DLW 480 BSW HID was selected for moments requiring sharp beams and strong visual impact.
Its 2° beam helped produce narrow, high-intensity shafts of light that could cut through the stage image like a blade. This intensified dramatic conflict and created a clear visual contrast with the softer, more restrained lighting states.
Its CMY color mixing, dual gobo wheels and prism effects also supported surreal inner-monologue sequences. During moments of "breaking free from attachment," the fixture's aerial effects provided a visual release that matched the character's psychological transformation.
DLW L10100C4BAR IP
The DLW L10100C4BAR IP was used as a flexible color foundation for the stage.
Its RGBA source and 1800K–8000K linear color-temperature adjustment provided a wide range of warm and cool tones. Smooth dimming and controlled color reproduction helped create a soft, understated light quality reminiscent of an aged Chinese painting or historical scroll.
The fixture create a subtle tonal layer, gave the stage a human warmth and helped unify the different lighting elements.
How DLW Solved the Lighting Challenge
Revealing character
The DREAM 1400 PROFILE created clean and carefully controlled light areas for actor's monologues. By isolating the performer from the surrounding space, the lighting helped the audience focus on his hesitation, frustration and emotional conflict.
Building psychological space
The DREAM L1600P FLAG supported the production's changing emotional palette. Cool, dense colors suggested pressure and restraint, while brighter and more expansive states marked the character's spiritual release.
Creating poetic environments
The DLW L1240C4 LC fixtures introduced movement and depth through layered linear effects. Their light curtains helped expand the stage beyond a literal historical setting and created a more poetic, atmospheric environment.
Intensifying dramatic conflict
The DLW 480 BSW HID provided concentrated beams and aerial effects for moments of tension and inner confrontation. Its sharp visual language contrasted with the softer wash and linear lighting, helping the audience feel the force of the character's internal struggle.
Maintaining visual unity
The DLW L10100C4BAR IP established a warm and restrained base tone. This helped connect the different lighting layers and ensured that the production maintained a coherent visual identity across scenes.
Together, these fixtures enabled the lighting team to move between visual restraint and dramatic expansion without losing the production's Eastern aesthetic character.
Performance Result
The premiere was presented to a full house at the Jiangsu Zijin Grand Theatre and received sustained applause and enthusiastic responses from the audience.
The lighting system helped turn the character's emotional journey into a visible stage experience. Through controlled performer lighting, flowing color curtains, atmospheric washes, sharp aerial beams and carefully modulated base tones, the production attract all the audiences and evoke resonance.
Explore DLW Lighting Solutions
DLW Lighting rooted at lighting solution for theatre productions, share your project requirement, information about venue, stage dimensions, throw distances with our team. We are pleased to recommend suitable fixtures.