IN his latest work, Chinese choreographer Zhao Liang explores the soul and desire of humans.

“Escaping from the Temple,” which will be staged at SAIC Shanghai Culture Square on July 3, is the final installment of Zhao’s “Oriental Soul and Desire” trilogy that illustrates humanity’s soul and desire through an Oriental choreography.

The first two installments of the trilogy — “Dreams of Zen” and “The Tea Spell” — were inspired by “A Dream of Red Mansions,” one of China’s four great classical novels, and a Tang Dynasty tea set.

“Escaping from the Temple” is created based on classic Kunqu Opera plays like “Longing for the World” about a young nun and “Coming down the Mountain” featuring a young monk.

Both yearn for an ordinary life and romance. In some way, Zhao combined the two stories in his latest creation and displayed dialogues among the characters’ souls and desires.

“I believe that soul is a mysterious energy that everybody is born with, waiting to be awakened in some way. With the awakening of the soul, people get closer to who they really are. Desire, also something everybody is born with, is leading people to make choices nobody can escape from,” Zhao says.

Compared with the fancy and flowery costumes and stage settings of the first two installments, “Escaping from the Temple” is visually relatively plain, which is largely because of the story itself, Zhao notes.

Crossover artist Qiu Jirong, grandson of Peking Opera master Qiu Shengrong, stars in the drama in the role of the monk. It also stars young nandan (men playing female roles in traditional Chinese opera) performer Dong Fei who will sing Kunqu Opera on stage.

“Different from many domestic modern dance works that are heavily influenced by the West, I am more likely to create works which explore and reflect on our own culture,” Zhao says. “Modern dance, as an abstract stage art, should never lose the individual expression of the artist or its emotional connection with its intended audience.”

Date: July 3, 7:15pm Address: 597 Fuxing Rd M. Tickets: 80-350 yuan