CHINA: For a performance that moves 3.5 kilometres along one of the world’s oldest waterways, the sound system has to travel with the audience. That is precisely the challenge behind Yun Shang Xing Grand Canal Waterscape Poetry and Music Experience, a new production on Beijing’s historic Grand Canal that uses an L-Acoustics system to turn a moving cruise boat into an immersive performance space.

Dating to 486 BC and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, China’s Grand Canal once formed a vital inland transport network carrying grain and goods from the south towards the imperial capitals in the north. Tongzhou, now a major growth area of Beijing, was the canal’s historic northern terminus. The new production brings that history to life on the same stretch of water, with the experience created by cultural tourism entity Tongzhou on the Canal, celebrated Chinese artist Han Meilin as General Advisor, and cross-disciplinary artist Liu Zhouming as Chief Director and Screenwriter.

Rather than placing audiences in front of a conventional stage, Yun Shang Xing puts them aboard a purpose-built panoramic cruise boat for a journey lasting around 50 minutes. As the vessel travels approximately 3.5 kilometres along the canal, the performance unfolds across the water, smaller boats, bridges and both banks. Six connected sequences, known as the “Six Canals”, take audiences through the history of the waterway, from the commerce of the caoyun era and the everyday lives of canal families to music, dance and poetry. The organisers describe the production as Beijing’s first 360-degree waterborne performance of its kind.

That unusual format created an equally unusual audio challenge. Sound needed to remain coherent and immersive while the audience was constantly moving, yet the system also had to remain discreet within the boat’s design-led interior. Large areas of glass across the cabin walls and roof created a highly reverberant acoustic environment, while the continual sound of waves against the hull introduced another variable into the equation.

L-Acoustics Certified Distributor Rightway Audio Consultants (Racpro) addressed the challenge with L-Acoustics Soka, deploying the compact colinear system as the main front and rear reinforcement throughout the cabin. Its slim, upright form could sit flush against the boat’s window frames, preserving sightlines and the minimalist aesthetic. Its directivity control also allowed the system to focus acoustic energy towards the listening positions while limiting unwanted energy reaching the surrounding glass surfaces.

“The hardest part was making a full-range system effectively disappear,” says Li Teng, Assistant Project Manager of Racpro. “In a moving cabin wrapped in glass, every reflection works against you. Getting even, enveloping coverage from a handful of cabinets that the audience never notices is exactly the result we were after.”

Low-frequency reinforcement required an equally considered approach. Instead of simply positioning subwoofers in the corners of the confined cabin, Racpro used L-Acoustics Soundvision to model the boat’s geometry across multiple frequency bands before determining the optimum locations. The team then took the process on board, using demo units to compare Soundvision’s predictions with measurements made inside the actual cabin.

The resulting configuration placed two SB10i closer to the centre of the cabin. This avoided the hull resonance that corner placement could have introduced while producing more even low-frequency coverage throughout the seating area.

The complete cabin system comprises four Soka, two SB10i and two LA2Xi amplified controller, creating a compact system capable of covering the entire audience area without allowing the technology to dominate the interior.

With Yun Shang Xing planned as a long-term fixture within Tongzhou and the wider Grand Canal Cultural Belt, the production also forms part of a broader cultural development around the historic waterway. The experience connects directly to a 1.3-kilometre waterfront commercial district on the canal’s west bank and is positioned to support international cultural exchange and high-profile events as Beijing’s sub-centre continues to expand its cultural offering.