The Phoenix Dances in the Tang Dynasty

Shen Jinghong, a graduate student researching Tang dynasty music and dance in the modern era, transmigrates to the Tang dynasty in the fourteenth year of the Xiantong era after an accident onstage, becoming the daughter of a disgraced official. Her father, Kang Chengxun, is framed by his advisor, Wen Tingyun, and imprisoned on charges of treason. She is sent to the palace's Yeting Bureau as a servant.

With all hope seemingly lost, Shen Jinghong draws on her expertise to find a way forward through music and dance. At the Pear Garden, she reconstructs the lost dance step known as the Phoenix Nod. Her performance of "The Phoenix Returns to Court" dazzles at the New Year's Day celebrations, earning her the title of Talented Lady and a chance to approach the heart of the court.

She discovers that behind her father's wrongful conviction lies a conspiracy between Wen Tingyun and Nanzhao, and foresees that Yongzhou will be massacred. Using military signals hidden in Tang music and dance, she conveys intelligence with her flute at a banquet by the Qujiang River, exposes the traitor, and helps the Tang army thwart Nanzhao's surprise attack.

In the end, her father's name is cleared, and the realm finds temporary peace. But Shen Jinghong does not stop at the palace. She founds the Fengyi Workshop, teaching poor girls to dance "The Phoenix Returns to Court." The phoenix spirit in music and dance, resilient, protective, and ever-renewing, becomes a torch in troubled times, lighting the way for countless people striving to protect their homeland.