Cirque du Soleil's shows in Las Vegas, USA, Hamburg, Germany and all the other tours worldwide have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "X: The Land of Fantasy" in Hangzhou, Asia's only residency show of Cirque du Soleil, is its only current performance in the world.

Founded 36 years ago, Canada's "national treasure" Cirque du Soleil is a world-class cultural brand comparable to Disney, with more than 20 shows worldwide and has performed for more than 365 million audiences in more than 90 countries and regions.

In August 2019, the first show of "X: The Land of Fantasy" was a sell-out, but later, the sudden epidemic gave it a big blow. 

Only five months after the show’s debut, the theater was shut down, the cast was kept on hold, and more than 40 foreign employees left. The troupe was faced with an existential crisis.

At the end of February 2020, the replacement staff was assigned to work with the foreign actors staying in Hangzhou to start the rehearsals; the equipment was tested and run daily.

From March 21, 2020, Hangzhou had no new COVID-19 cases for one month, and restaurants and libraries resumed opening; on April 8, Wuhan was "unsealed"; in May, the national emergency response level was lowered, and tours around the city resumed. The government departments introduced support policies and planned a series of public welfare performances, making the theater popularity gradually rebounded. On June 3, 2020, "X: The Land of Fantasy" was back on stage, which is the earliest post-epidemic indoor large-scale performance to resume in Zhejiang.

During the "May Day" holiday in 2021, the average attendance rate of "X: The Land of Fantasy" was nearly 90%, returning to the highest performance volume before the epidemic. Less than a year, the performance volume has been close to 98% of a normal year.

(Translated by Bian Bingying, Edited by Ye Ke)