Sometimes, great art seems so complicated, so clever, and so tricky to get into that it’s hardly worth the effort. But it always is. Because once you’re there, the worlds you find are wonderful. It just needs someone — anyone — to open the door and lead you in.

“Unique Dream of Red Mansions,” part of the Dream Langfang Theme Park in Hebei Province, throws the doors wide open on one of China’s four great classical novels, Cao Xueqin’s “Dream of the Red Mansions.” Written in the late 1700s, the novel describes the rise and decline of a family during the religious and philosophical challenges of the time. Like many great novels, it’s long, complex, and just a little daunting.

Opening doors

What “Unique Dream of Red Mansions” does — to great effect — is make the book more of an entertaining ride than an intellectual challenge. It beautifully explains why Cao Xueqin’s words matter today, opening doors in our imaginations that never close.

With a 1600,000 square foot (150,000m²) venue that features 12 indoor theatres and 108 scenic spaces and outdoor stages, “Unique Dream of Red Mansions” is every bit as ambitious as the novel. Key scenes are re-imagined using modern theatrical and audio-visual techniques while always staying true to the original. For visitors, that means it doesn’t matter if you’ve read the book twenty times or never at all: there’s something here for everyone.

During the hour-long show in the “Real-Unreal Theatre,” live performances fuse perfectly with lighting design, water effects, and projection from 15 Christie^® DWU1082-GS projectors as thirty-six carved doors open to reveal beautifully lit set pieces that include a mountain panorama shrouded by gently shifting clouds. The door motif continues in the “Beidamen Light Show,” when 16 ancient-style gates in a sprawling outdoor courtyard form the backdrop to a projection-mapped spectacular lit by 64 DWU860-iS projectors. Then, a dramatic change of pace: At the “Theatre of Beds,” beds replace seats as the audience reclines before a tilted mirror for a dream sequence unlike any other, powered by two Christie GS Series projectors.

Removing barriers

Perhaps the greatest compliment today’s art can pay yesterday’s masterpieces is to explain why they are great. And the best way to do that is by removing barriers. Once we accept the invitation to enjoy great art on our own terms, the doors open, and we can marvel at its beauty. It’s something modern tech is uniquely able to do when combined with the vision of a great artist like Wang Chaoge, the theatrical director who oversaw “Unique Dream of Red Mansions.” It effortlessly immerses us in Cao Xueqin’s world, showing us what he saw and helping us understand the world the way he did.

Increasingly, projection mapping and AV-enhanced spectaculars worldwide are introducing new audiences to works from our shared artistic heritage, and by making them more accessible through entertainment, it makes them come alive.