By Jack Souther
The Chinese tradition of doing things on a grand scale dates back centuries to the building of the Great Wall, and the quest for supremacy continues to influence almost everything the Chinese set their mind to, including theatre. Each performance we attended during our three-week tour seemed bigger and more lavish than the last. It would be hard to choose the best, but these are three of my favorites.
Beijing Acrobatic Show
From my attempts at the gym I know how tough it is to just stay atop one of those simple balance boards made from a plank and roller. So I was suitably impressed at how deftly the big guy on stage rocked back and forth on his teetering plank. I was even more impressed when he put the contraption on top of a small table and climbed aboard. What happened next defies all the laws of gravity and physics. The big guy on the balance board held two young women, one on each side. The girls placed a second table on top of his head and a little guy on another balance board was lowered onto the upper table and started rocking back and forth.
But there was more! The little guy, balanced on his roller 15 feet above the stage, put three bowls on the end of his plank, stood up and with a flick of the board sent them spiraling into the air. The bowls landed — one, two, three — on top of his head. He took them off and bowed matter-of-factly to the audience. This was just one of dozens of astonishing acts in a fast-paced performance that includes high-wire artists, gymnasts, contortionists, and acrobatic dancers.
The ancient art of Chinese Acrobatics goes back at least 4,000 years. Originally developed as a form of folk sport and village games it was performed by, and for, working-class people and scorned by the upper classes. But around 2,500 years ago the skill of the performers began to capture the attention of the emperors. Music and costumes were added and by the time of the Han Dynasty (221 -220 BC) Chinese Acrobatics had evolved from folk sport to stage performance. What became known as the "Hundred Plays" during the Tang Dynasty has grown into a modern, world-class entertainment phenomenon that employs more than 12,000 performers.
The Tang Dynasty Show, Xian
It has been called the "city of death". Xian is the keeper of China’s imperial past. Seven-thousand terra cotta warriors still maintain their silent vigil at the grave of emperor Qin Shi Huang, who died there more than 20 centuries ago. It's the city where a unified China was born in 221 BC, and it served as the country’s capital through 11 successive dynasties. Its monuments and museums preserve the mute imperial treasures of China's golden age of culture and art. But on the stage of the Shaanxi Grand Opera House the splendor of Xian's renaissance period is brought back to life in the Tang Dynasty Show.
The show recreates on stage the culture and artistic heritage of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a time when Xian was one of the largest and most progressive cities in the world. Dressed in the elaborate costumes of the period the performers transform the stage into the Tang Imperial Court, where the emperor is entertained by musicians playing ancient instruments. Dancers swirl through the cloth dance, the rainbow dance, and the war dance. And it's not just a feast for the eyes.
The audience is seated at tables in front of the stage and treated to a 16-course "dumpling feast". As the curtain goes up we are served hot rice wine and throughout the performance the dumplings, fresh out of a steamer, are delivered to our table on bamboo trays. Each of the 16 varieties of bite-sized dumplings is uniquely crafted to match the morsel it contains — duck, fish, walnut, etc. — each one a work of culinary art. Utter decadence! But a great way to spend an evening.
The Song City Show, Hangzhou
The glory days of the Tang Dynasty sputtered to a close in 907 and for the next 200 years China was split into regional factions. With its economy stunted by political and military infighting the country slipped into a period of cultural decline that lasted until the emergence of the Song Dynasty in 1127. By then the centre of power and influence had shifted south, from Xian to Hangzhou, which Marco Polo described as "the finest, and most splendid city in the world". And today, the "Romance of the Song Dynasty" in Hangzhou is certainly one of the world’s most splendid stage performances.
The show opens with a lively re-enactment of the "Legend of the Monkey King" highlighted by incredibly talented acrobats. The scene shifts to a Song palace where the emperor and empress, surrounded by palace officials, are entertained by brilliantly costumed dancers and musicians playing ancient Chinese instruments. In the war scene lance-waving warriors are enveloped in the smoke of battle. Live horses dash across the stage as cannons fire and the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder. From the chaos of battle the scene shifts to the tranquility of Hangzhou's West Lake. In a series of brilliant ballet sequences the dancers re-enact the tales and legends of the lake. In one sequence the dancers appear to float in tunnels of laser light. In another the stage swings open to almost double its width and a mist of rain falls on the audience, bringing the scene to life as the dancers leave the stage and come up the aisles. Even Marco Polo would have been impressed.
During our visit to China we saw only a tiny fragment of the country's vast pool of theatrical talent. But I marvel at the professional and innovative showmanship of every performance we attended. I can't even imagine what the Chinese will come up with at next year's Olympics but I predict the opening and closing ceremonies will surpass anything that has gone before.
