Once upon a lake ... Xihu (West Lake) sprang into existence when a perfect white jade escaped heaven and slammed to earth. The resulting crystal lake nestles in China’s best tea-growing mountains, guarded by a phoenix to this day. Is it any wonder Xihu has inspired poets to put pen to paper, artists to paint, storytellers to spin tales, and lovers to meet on its shore?

Please join us as CAAM CDT’s dancers take audiences from Xihu’s mountains to its Sichuan-inspired tea houses and, finally, back to Xihu, where two famous lovers meet their destiny over tea.

A shortened version of “Once Upon a Lake” for schools and groups, called “Tears of the Dragon, Leaves of the Tea,” will be performed January 29th. Email us directly for school show tickets only.

Want to know more about Xihu and its legends? Check out the activity book at Coloring & Activity Book.

This activity was made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and through the generosity of our parent organization, the Chinese American Association of Minnesota