Documentary gives classic work a modern interpretation

Beauty and timelessness, these are what model-actress and director Chang Chunxiao wants to convey through her ongoing Kunqu Opera-themed short documentary project.

The People in the Time Tunnel documents fashion photographer Feng Hai's role as artistic styling consultant on Romantic Dream in Garden, a new interpretation of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Kunqu Opera masterpiece, The Peony Pavilion, produced by the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre in Beijing.

Chang's documentary captures the way Feng refers to image archives of the Ming Dynasty and reconstructs the appearance of the characters — designing makeup details and the way performers wear their ornaments, for example — how he shot the posters for the adaptation, and his understanding of the traditional Chinese opera form in general.