Mega outdoor productions are drawing audiences to China's fabulous
scenery such as Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Yunnan Province and
the Shaolin Temple area in Henan Province.
Mother Nature: That's the ticket
No theater stage is more compelling than one in natural
surroundings. Perhaps that's why big-budget outdoor productions are
being shown in some of China's most famous sceneries.
The first outdoor production, Chinese director Zhang Yimou's
"Impression Liu Sanjie", ?proved to be a hit in the mountain
and river scenery of Yangshuo, a famous scenic resort in southern
China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in 2003. In May, Zhang
continued his "Impression series" by launching the "Impression
Lijiang" in the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang, a world
heritage scenic spot in southern China's Yunnan Province.
The show at a budget of US$31 million is divided into two parts
-- "Snow Mountain Impression" and "Ancient City Impression" -- with
the latter in progress.
The latest big name in outdoor production is Oscar-winning
composer Tan Dun. In a canyon deep in the Songshan Mountain in
central China's Henan Province, Tan recently premiered his "Zen
Shaolin, Music Ritual," which cost 100 million yuan (US$12.50
million), last month.
Whether or not they have the artistic value proclaimed by their
high-profile creators, both "Impression Lijiang" and "Zen Shaolin"
will at least promote local tourism and explore the cultural
essence behind the popular scenery.
For Tan's "Zen Shaolin," it was strange to see handsome monks
with megaphones patrolling the site, asking the audience to sit
down, be quiet and not use cameras with flashes. But maybe they
were elements of the show.
First of all, the set was awesome set in a canyon deep in the
heart of the Songshan Mountain very close to the Shaolin Temple.
The set features the real mountains, huge rocks, foggy springs,
trees swaying in the wind and even a wooden bridge.
A bright replica of Shaolin Temple could be seen at a distance,
with monks in orange robes sweeping the floors. The audience's
seats were yellow with Buddhist cattail hassocks were scattered in
a grand ancient-style pavilion given a naturally aged appearance.
The show was breathtaking. Tan composed five chapters matching
the themes of water, wood, wind, light and stone for the "ritual."
The music played mostly by monks did sound like water tumbling over
rocks and winds sighing through the trees.
There was even thunder, lightning, exciting drums and numerous
lanterns during the show. Finally, a huge manmade moon rose to the
top of the mountains.
Composer Tan, staying in a nearby villa with vegetable gardens
and a fish pond for a month before the show, says he had written
back-to-nature music for the performance.
"It is not only entertaining. I think I have destroyed all the
former musical styles to create the music, which is popular but not
vulgar, both pleasant and serious," says Tan, who won an Oscar for
his score for Hollywood-based Taiwanese director Ang Lee's
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
Naturally, Tan did want to experiment with something new. Monks
recited Zen chapters, performed with stone instruments and
demonstrated Shaolin kung fu while a rainbow of lighting created
marvelous scenes.
The composer tried to emphasize the Zen atmosphere by arranging
five monks sitting still on the rocks -- meditating without moving
-- from beginning to ?end.
But the audience found it difficult to reach Tan's realm of Zen,
which Shaolin Temple's current abbot Shi Yongxin said was the
essence and the source of ultimate wisdom of this 1,500-year-old
temple.
With no orientation, with children running around, women
chatting and monks patrolling, the audience always applauded
breathtaking visual effects -- such as shining monks flying in the
sky or the giant moon rising -- not the quiet, profoundly Zen
moments.
"The movie 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' implied that kung fu
is a kind of calligraphy while sword art is actually philosophy and
beauty," says Tan. "Now I continue this spirit for the Shaolin
project."
The show reached a climax with hundreds of monks in bright
yellow robes chanting Buddhist scriptures at the same time.
Director Zhang's "Impression Lijiang" tells another story.
“The giant posters advertising this outdoor production,
showing cool director Zhang Yimou and his team looking on from a
snowy mountain, attracted me to the performance set at the Jade
Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang this summer.”
“But it's not easy to get to the "theater." You need to hire
a taxi to drive for half an hour from Lijiang's Ancient Town, then
buy an extra ticket at the half-way point to enter the Snow
Mountain area, and finally buy a 190-yuan show ticket to get
in.”
“And it's very cold and windy in the amphitheater at 3,100
meters. Every visitor gets a bright yellow raincoat and a blue
waterproof cushion in case of rain. Organizers said the show would
go on. It didn't rain but almost everyone wore the raincoats for
warmth.”
Perhaps the cold and why the show began at 11am in early October
explain these statements, and why there were only about 30 in the
audience. In comparison, another show in a heated downtown theater
was sold out almost every night. "Lishui Jinsha" ("Mountains and
Rivers") had dazzling lighting and impressively made-up actors and
actresses.
But out in the cold, a bunch of strong men in white lambskins
rushed in front of the audience at the beginning of "Impression
Lijiang." They sang, they danced and they shouted to the sky. Their
faces were naturally tanned, their hair was tangled.
"I'm a farmer." "I am a horse keeper." "I'm a Mosuo native
(member of a matriarchal society) and I have 11 women."
Through touching songs and passionate dances, about 400 local
folks from 10 ethnic groups -- plus 100 horses -- provided a
glimpse into the lives of the region's ethnic groups.
And the newly designed theater, which looked like a
mini-Colosseum, created a special mood and acoustics so that the
songs from the hearts of the performers were everywhere, even above
audiences' heads.
Moreover, lucky audience members could see the most stunning
backdrop of the performance -- the peak of "saint" Snow Jade
Mountain standing just beyond the stage. I only saw a huge vague
shape shrouded in mist.
At last, the performers asked the audience to pray to the snow
mountain with them in the compelling music.
I closed my eyes, stretched my hands up and prayed to the
vague image of the saint mountain. I felt my heart sort of washed
clean. It was so chilly that my toes went a bit numb, but my spirit
had never been cleaner and clearer.
From the day I watched Zhang Yimou's "Impression: Lijiang,"
Lijiang changed its impression in my mind. It is much more than a
fanciful, unreal ancient town. It has concealed so much behind the
endless souvenir shops, beyond the sight of tourists like me.
Back to Tan Dun's Shaolin production, despite the
hard-into-Zen-realm part and a bunch of unnecessary female roles,
the performance was overwhelming and worth spending a Shaolin
Temple night. But, maybe it's just too hard to reach a Zen mood
when we intend to.
Impression: Lijiang
Zen Shaolin, Music Ritual
(Shanghaidaily.com November 8, 2006)
