I recalled watching "Les Miserables" musical way back in 1996 in Singapore and I was enthralled by the stage make over, lights and sound effects.
But the Chinese took one giant step forward to build the world largest open theater in Yangshuo (陽朔), Guilin. This massive theater was created for the performance of "Impression Sanjie Liu". This theater utilizes the water of the Li River as its stage, with twelve mist-shrouded hills and the sky as its backdrop. Mist, rain, moonlight, the hills and their reflections in the river all become the ever-changing natural backdrop. Its auditorium is housed on the natural islands of the river while the audience are seated in rows and rows of chairs on terraces, surrounded by plants and natural vegetation. The valleys, the hills, the cool breeze and the streams are all elements contributing to the three-dimensional sound and light effects. At different seasons, different weather offers different scenery and effects complimenting the four seasons in China.
In terms of the theater capacity, it can accommodate 3,700 spectators per show and there are two shows every night. That's 7,400 crowd during peak season!
The man behind this mega show is Zhang Yimou, the choreographer responsible for the 2008 China Olympic opening ceremony.
According to the tour guide, when the show first started, the dancing girl danced naked on the "moon". Sale of binoculars to audience was record high for local shops! But later on, many locals felt uncomfortable as it was deemed inappropriate to Chinese culture, The main reason however was the "accidents" that the dance had caused to many of the support staff of the show particularly the boatmen. Due to the distraction and the eagerness to see "you know what", boatmen forgot to row according to their prescribed routes and timing. Some were so obsessed they they lost balance and fell into the river! One almost got himself drown!
As a result of this spectacular show, Yangshuo becomes world-renowned. So, this is a must-see item if you ever come to Yangshuo.
2 comments:
i was here!
what was your impression ?
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