Pearl Buck's life told in dance

Dancers of the multi-cultural dance play Pearl, which will premier at Lincoln Center in August, pose for group photos at a press conference held in New York City on Thursday. Hong Xiao / For China Daily

Buck created the concept of international adoptions and fought tirelessly for women's rights. Through her writings and vast humanitarian activities, she often tried to reduce the cultures of China and the United States to their lowest common denominator in order to bridge the two worlds in which she lived and shared with her readers globally.

According to Ezralow, Buck's life will be told in five symbolic stages: Spring, River, Flower, Moon, and Night, based on an influential poem written in Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) by Zhang Ruoxu. The production will feature five different aged dancers portraying the different stages of Buck's life.

Developed and created in the US, the production was produced by Beijing-based Legend River Entertainment, along with Zhenjiang Media Group.

"Pearl S. Buck was an American woman who opened the eyes of world to the beauty of China," said Tang Xiaolei, CEO of Legend River Entertainment. "It is our hope to connect and inspire international audiences in the 21th Century with her still-relevant ideas from years ago."

"Pearl S. Buck's story is a bridge of two cultures and provides an enlightened understanding of East and West," Tang added.

According to Tang, following the show's four-performance run in New York Aug 27-30, it will tour Europe and China through 2016.

Hong Xiao in New York contributed to this story.