One year after the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics, Chinese director Zhang Yimou is making an overwhelming comeback with yet another grand project at the Bird's Nest. A new packaging of the Puccini opera "Turandot" staged its first dress rehearsal on Saturday night in Beijing. A modern take on the classic show is the key to the new version.

Saturday night's "Turandot" rehearsal focused mainly on adjustments to stage lighting and actor positioning.

Helmed by director Zhang Yimou, and the creative team behind the Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, the new operatic production promises advanced concepts and modern approaches. Multimedia techniques will be used to create magnificent scenes. During the performances, audiences will see the world's largest video images ever, projected by 32 cineprojectors on a 1,000-square-meter screen.

Though many of the promised effects were not available during Saturday night's rehearsal, the production's magnificent scale hints at its splendor.

Chen Weiya, executive director of "Turandot" said, "The idea to make a new "Turandot" was raised during the Olympics last year. It is, after all, 11 years since its last performance at the Forbidden City in 1998. We decided to present a new "Turandot" which is less dependent on its environment, more concise, and features considerable multimedia devices. It is a modern production."

The last masterpiece written, but not finished, by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini before his death, "Turandot" tells the story of a tyrannical Chinese princess who has suitors beheaded when they fail to answer her three riddles. The number of cast and crew members exceeds one-thousand. All of the actors are currently rehearsing at the Central Opera House.

Approximately 100,000 people are expected to attend each of the two performances and there are plans to do 30 shows in 20 cities around the world.