“Lotus Pool Spring Gala” is the nickname and high praise fans gave to Zhang Yixing’s GRANDLINE 5: Monkey King Rocking The Heavenly Palace Tour, held at the National Stadium, Bird’s Nest, in Beijing from October 6-7, 2025.
The show blended national-level stage design, traditional Chinese culture, and innovative performance, reaching a scale and cultural depth comparable to the CCTV New Year’s Gala, aka the Spring Festival Gala.
Directed by well-known Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and his team, the stage centered on a 2,200 m² dynamic LED floor, inspired by the 2008 Beijing Olympics scroll concept. Animated paintings such as A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains and Hundreds of Butterflies unfolded as Zhang Yixing controlled them with hand gestures, a technical feat that amazed audiences.
The concert featured over 20 traditional Chinese art forms, including Ansai waist drum, Kam grand choir, Peking Opera martial arts, Dunhuang flying apsaras, Shanbei shuoshu, and Chinese paper cutting. These were merged with modern technologies such as electronic music, robotic arms, and stunt rigging. CCTV praised it as “a model for modern expressions of traditional culture”.
Zhang Yixing transformed into the “Monkey King” to perform Uproar in Heaven, danced with red silk and robotic arms, and even drove a blue-and-white porcelain-painted tractor through a giant painting, creating a visual spectacle of agricultural civilization and cyber aesthetics.
Drums with built-in sensors translated each beat into synchronized sound and lighting effects. Laser grids brought ink paintings to life, forming immersive visuals of “painting through rhythm”.
On a giant red drum three meters wide, Zhang Yixing fused the fluid grace of Drunken Fist with the explosive power of street dance, krump. In a reinterpretation of “Farewell My Concubine”, traditional opera vocals merged with trap beats. Lines from poet Li Qingzhao, “in life be a hero among men”, lit up the screen, offering a new take on heroism.
Both nights sold out all 130,000 tickets in seconds, with resale prices soaring fivefold. Music critics hailed it as “a redefinition of concert value”. International audiences marveled, saying “China is already living in 2050”. Korean media commented that the show “shattered the boundaries of idol performances”.
The Lotus Pool Spring Gala was not just the ultimate showcase of Zhang Yixing’s M-pop philosophy, it was a declaration written with technology as the pen and culture as the ink: “What is national is universal.”
Many fans expressed their astonishment and admiration:
“Every one of Zhang Yixing’s performances is a visual feast!”
“Anyone who watches it would say it’s stunning.”
“The stage had such an amazing atmosphere.”
“It’s the peak of Chinese aesthetics, like the Spring Festival Gala brought to a concert!”
“His stage presence is powerful and captivating, I absolutely love it.”
“Zhang Yixing always treats the stage with incredible dedication and perfection.”
“He gives his all to promote Chinese culture. You can truly feel his deep love and pride for it. He looks at China with the eyes of someone who has seen the world and creates a beautiful cultural fusion. It’s so charming.”
“The stage was breathtakingly beautiful.”
“A true feast for the eyes and ears! In my heart, Zhang Yixing is on the level of a real artist.”
“This was so beautiful and moving, the perfect blend of strength and control, dance and martial arts. That’s the legendary ‘balance’!”
