A Cup of Mountains and Rivers · Tea Realm is an original Oriental musical inspired by Chinese tea culture and The Classic of Tea. It brings together original music, theatre, dance, and a cross-cultural dialogue between Chinese culture and Aotearoa New Zealand.

The story begins in a spiritual world on the edge of collapse — the Tea Realm. Mountains and rivers, ancient texts, fragrance, memory, and human emotion intertwine as the production explores family, homeland, healing, and the connections that remain with us across time and distance.

The audience follows Lu Guichen through the realms of green tea, jasmine tea, white tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, rock tea, red tea, and dark tea on a journey through memory, loss, and rediscovery. Each tea becomes more than a flavour — it becomes a chapter of life, carrying childhood, family, longing, resilience, and love.

At the heart of the production is a fully original musical score, brought to life through solo singing, duets and vocal ensembles, adult chorus, and children’s choir. The music moves between intimate moments of personal emotion and powerful ensemble scenes. Theatre and dance are also interwoven with elements of Chinese martial arts, including stage movement inspired by Shaolin traditions, bringing a distinctive Eastern theatrical language, energy, and visual power to the stage.

The production also celebrates cultural diversity and the meeting of traditions. As the story journeys from the Chinese Tea Realm to Aotearoa New Zealand, Chinese tea encounters kawakawa and mānuka. Musical elements inspired by Māori culture and the sound world of Aotearoa enter into dialogue with Chinese musical and cultural traditions.

Through music, voice, movement, leaves, and water, two cultures meet across mountains and oceans — not to replace one another, but to listen, respond, and create something new together.

From a single solo voice to vocal ensembles and the resonance of a full chorus, from the innocence of children’s voices to the energy of dance and martial arts on stage, A Cup of Mountains and Rivers · Tea Realm creates a richly layered theatrical world where Eastern culture and Aotearoa meet through music, storytelling, and human connection.

Presented by the New Zealand Performing Arts Group (NZPAG), this original production brings together artists and creative collaborators from diverse backgrounds to create a new musical theatre work born in Aotearoa.

World Premiere: SkyCity Theatre, Auckland

One leaf, one world. One cup, one knowing.

Across mountains and oceans, music brings us together.