The mountainous areas of southern Yunnan Province offer some of the most spectacular vistas in all of China. For the Hani people, who migrated there from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau some 1,300 years ago, it represents a kind of Promised Land. There, they created the contoured Hani Rice Terraces which have been listed as a UNESCO World-Heritage site since 2013.

"The drama depicts the most magnificent and joyous, yet also the most arduous and miserable, aspects of the migration. We showed the fate of different characters in the drama in order to bring it to life," said Wang Ge, chief director.

Along with music and dance, the drama embodies ritual and poetry to tell this epic tale; and it is a tale that speaks for all of humanity.

"I have borrowed some techniques from Western music and combined them with the most traditional parts of Chinese ethnic music to create an international yet authentic sound," said Liu Ye, composer.

BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- It is a tale of the Hani people, but also a tale that speaks to the plight of all refugees and migrants-- fleeing from conflict, overcoming obstacles, and finding a new homeland. An epic dance drama premiered in Beijing on Saturday night; it tells how the Hani overcame adversity and carved a haven for themselves in the landscape of southwest China.

Hence the title of this dance drama, 'Nuomaamei', which means 'beautiful homeland' in the Hani language.