Li Jianbo, director of The Great Unity, says the title of the production is a common motif that can be drawn from all these historical episodes.

"Presenting history from different periods is a tricky task because they need to be cohesively connected. So in the production, we came up with this idea of taking a modern-day perspective and traveling through time," Li says.

"I found from my research that throughout the time periods, Chinese civilization pursues great unity of the people and harmony of the world. In the past, this idea was reflected from our diplomatic relations with other countries and amalgamation among different ethnic groups, and today's BRI aims for the same goal."