Shanghai Ballet's new production Lily will premiere at Shanghai Grand Theatre on July 18.

Directed by Wang Ge, Lily is based on a short story of the same title written by Ru Zhijuan in the 1950s. It tells the tale of an encounter between a military nurse, a young soldier and a woman villager on the eve of a brutal battle during the War of Liberation (1946-49).

"This is a story that took place in the countryside of Jiangnan, and the leading characters are ordinary people that audiences can relate to," Wang told the media.