The National Ballet of China staged its production The Little Mermaid at Tianqiao Theater in Beijing, marking the production's 10th anniversary since its premiere in 2012.

The symphony orchestra of the National Ballet of China performed the music by composer Lera Auerbach under the baton of conductor Zhang Yi. The performance will run until Aug 30.

Premiered by the Royal Danish Ballet in 2005 to mark the 200th anniversary of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen's birth, the ballet piece was a classic by US artistic director and chief choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier.

In September 2012, the National Ballet of China worked with Neumeier to bring the production to Beijing. The premiere of The Little Mermaid in China was a huge success, with positive feedback from both audiences and dance critics.

Since its premiere, The Little Mermaid has been staged in China several times. The ballet company performed the piece during the China Shanghai International Arts Festival in 2017 and again in 2019 to mark its 60th birthday in Beijing.

Ballet artists Wang Qimin and Ma Xiaodong, who played the lead roles in The Little Mermaid's performances in 2012, have returned to the stage to match steps with other dancers, such as Sun Ruichen and Wang Jiyu, and the company's new principal ballerina Qiu Yunting.

"Unfortunately, I cannot be with you in person to supervise and witness the revival of The Little Mermaid after 10 years in China. But I would like very much to send my gratitude and my very best wishes for this new cast, for this performance, and for the work that I have seen a bit of, that my ballet masters have seen and criticized and worked on, and have been very impressed with how well the piece has been taught, the discipline and the perfection of the dancing, as well as the interoperation and the emotion which this ballet obviously needs," said Neumeier through a video he made for the performances, which was screened before each of the performance at Tianqiao Theater.

"The Little Mermaid marked a new era for the National Ballet of China, which also inspired Chinese audiences. The company has evolved during the past 10 years, which allows us to better interpret the ballet piece," said Feng Ying, head and artistic director of the National Ballet of China.

The ballet piece The Little Mermaid is staged at Tianqiao Theater in Beijing.

In 2012, US artistic director and chief choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier came to Beijing to work with dancers of the National Ballet of China on the ballet piece, which premiered the same year.