Visitors enjoy lanters at
Baotu Spring Park in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong
Province, Feb. 2, 2008. Fifty-five large latern groups and over
3,000 lanterns presented attractive scenery in the 29th Baotu
Spring lantern festival which kicked off on Saturday.
Falling next Thursday, on the 15th day of the first
lunar month, it is the end of the Lunar New Year festivities. Kunqu
Opera lovers can enjoy light-hearted classics and romances staged
by the Shanghai Kunqu Opera House on February 21 and 24.
The hilarious "Kite Romance" has been compared to the ancient
Chinese version of "cyber love."
The handsome and talented scholar Han Shixun has lived at the
home of his ugly friend Qi Youxian since the death of Han's father.
Nearby live Miss Ugly Aijuan and Miss Beauty Shujuan from the Zhan
family.
Han writes a poem to the beauty on a kite and flies it over to
the Zhan family residence - today it would be a misdirected e-mail.
Ugly Aijuan finds the note, disguises herself as Shujuan and asks
Han to visit. He is repelled by the woman's rudeness and coarse
manners and runs away. Who is really the woman Han longs for?
Performances on February 23 and 24 are mostly comedies and
excerpts from "The Story of the Jade Hairpin," "The Story of West
Wing Room" and "Tale of the Embroidered Jacket."
Young performers Shen Yili, Li An, Zhang Jun and Hu Gang take
the lead roles in the stylish production.
The audience will be served yuanxiao, enjoy the lantern-hanging
ceremony and play puzzle games in the theater. Some spectators will
be able to don elaborate Kunqu Opera costumes and join the
show.
"We will present more wonderful shows suited to the unique
atmosphere of traditional Chinese festivals like the Dragon Boat
Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival," says Guo Yu, director of
Shanghai Kunqu Opera House. "We hope to draw today's young
generation back to our profound traditional culture and
customs."
Photo taken on Feb. 2, 2008
shows night scenery of Baotu Spring in Jinan, capital of east
China's Shandong Province. Fifty-five large latern groups and over
3,000 lanterns presented attractive scenery in the 29th Baotu
Spring lantern festival which kicked off at Baotu Spring Park on
Saturday.
Visitors enjoy lanters at
Baotu Spring Park in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong
Province, Feb. 2, 2008. Fifty-five large latern groups and over
3,000 lanterns presented attractive scenery in the 29th Baotu
Spring lantern festival which kicked off on Saturday.
(Shanghai Daily February 15, 2008)
