In Chinese, "Dao" is a verb meaning "to pound" and "Lian" is a raw silk woven product with white color. In ancient China, the process of turning raw silk fabric into soft and lustrous cloth was called "Dao Lian," which was regarded as a fundamental activity for women comparable to men's agricultural work. Later, the activity became a poetic image, and was commonly seen in works or art and literature.

Among all the related paintings, "Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk," by Zhang Xuan of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is considered one of the best. It is an important painting of the Tang Dynasty, showing the scene of court ladies producing white silk. The 12 characters can be roughly divided into different groups doing one of the three procedures: pounding, sewing and ironing.

Produced by China Media Group, the cultural program "China in Poetry and Painting" invited famous dancer Huang Lufei and dancers from the Xi'an Dance and Opera Troupe to adapt this masterpiece into a dance performance, bringing the court ladies of Tang Dynasty to life.