Had it not been for the traditional Chinese costumes, the settings, and the black-haired ladies, most people would take it for granted that the grand performance staged in Nanjing Thursday evening was a typical Broadway show.
Dressed in splendid costumes, the slim-figured ladies moved in the softest steps and presented their charming voices.
However, the performance, named after a local folk song titled "Ode to Jasmine", differed from traditional Broadway shows. It reflected some of the most common duties of everyday life, like sewing, weaving and going fishing.
With the 90-minute-long performance in the capital of east China's Jiangsu province, the Sixth China Art Festival, the largest art gathering in China, was unveiled.
Caught in the familiar melody of "Jasmine," the 4,000 audience in the Wutaishan Gymnasium took a glimpse into the typical life in this region crossed by rivers and dotted by lakes. China's beautiful scenery was made known to the world thanks to a Chinese painter, Chen Yifei, who painted this famous idyllic picture and left the rest of the world in awe.
Perhaps the scene echoed the memories in the bottom of his heart. The 72-year-old He Fang, who wrote the song "Jasmine" 58 years ago based on a local folk song in Jiangsu, was moved to tears.
Actually, "Jasmine" has already spread to the rest of the country. It even has an English version which most foreigners regard as a must in order to understand China.
The performance was received favorably during the rehearsal, and before the performance started, it already made quite a fortune of about twice its production cost.
Undoubtedly, folk songs and music are the most fascinating part of the performance, despite the performance occasionally mixing some tap dance steps and performers wearing cowboy outfits.
"Performances with local flavor could conquer the whole world," said an art critic, Jin Ping. Yu Pingping, a local teacher, said the performance reflects the essence of the region and made her "feel close" to the cultural essence of this region.
For the first time in history, several rounds of nationwide bidding have been started for the music composition, choreographic design, which is the new trend in the restructuring of China's art industry.
"The production of this performance is not different from that of a Broadway show," said general director Gu Xin.
(Xinhua 09/29/2000)
