China's leading film director Zhang Yimou opened his second
outdoor production on Sunday at the foot of southwestern China's
Yulongxue (Jade Dragon Snow) Mountain.
Around 500 local people from 10 ethnic groups were selected from
16 towns and villages in Lijiang of Yunnan Province to perform folk songs, dances
and rituals for visitors daily.
The performances were "innovatively" staged in the morning, said
Zhang, who spent two years producing this one-hour outdoor show
entitled Impression Lijiang.
The performances start with more than 400 male entertainers in
their traditional ethnic group costumes shouting at the sky, "we
are farmers, we are stars!"
Unlike indoor or evening performances where lighting can be
cleverly used to hide many things outdoor performances in daylight
leave absolutely no room for error or "artistic decoration or
artificial disguise," Zhang explained.
"No one has dared before to put on an outdoor performance during
the day," Zhang said. "I made the decision after in depth
investigations."
Zhang's assistant Wang Chaoge explained the production had been
discussed hundreds of times and thoroughly rehearsed before being
staged. All the music, songs and dances had been artistically
produced to reflect the daily lives of people.
When his production went into final rehearsals two months ago
Zhang felt it deserved a score of 80-100. And he freely admits that
he's been deeply moved several times during performances. Zhang
believes he has successfully "accomplished a dialogue with nature"
with the outdoor production.
Another assistant Fan Yue said the success of the production lay
in local customs and culture. More than 99 percent of the audience
interviewed said they had seen nothing like it before and almost
all had been "moved" or "inspired," Fan added.
"The folk customs and culture of minority ethnic groups gave me
the confidence to attempt outdoor performances," Zhang said. "I'm
picky with my projects," he said. "But this time I'm touched by the
passion and warmth of the folk people and 100 percent satisfied
with their performances."
Impression Lijiang is estimated to have cost US$31
million in total. The performances at the foot of the snow-capped
mountain are the first part with another segment called Ancient
City Impression to be staged perhaps in 2007 at the Dayan
Ancient Town which is a world heritage site.
Zhang, as a representative figure of the 5th generation of
Chinese directors, established his fame at the age of 37 with the
Red Sorghum which gives a vivid portrayal of the lives of
Chinese farmers. He has been active in directing a range of other
visual arts projects in recent years.
In 2003 Zhang, Wang and Fan created the first installment of
their outdoor Impression series, Impression Liu
Sanjie, with the mountain and river scenery of Yangshuo as a
backdrop. It's a world-renowned scenic beauty spot in south China.
The show proved to be a hit at the box office.
By the end of this June performances attracted more than one
million people and annually took in nearly 100 million yuan (around
US$12. 5 million).
In recent years though, Zhang has been criticized, as "stepping
away from common life" because of his martial arts films which are
perhaps best represented by Hero.
"The outdoor performances touch me by the beauty of nature and
the land," Zhang said. His remarks echoed the views of some
insiders' who said the performances had drawn him back into what he
does best.??
(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2006)
