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A haunting lady of the lake
By Tan Meiyi |
April 5, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ONCE upon a time, there lived a scholar named Xu Xian who met a beautiful lady by the Broken Bridge at West Lake. Unknown to him, the lady was the little white snake he had saved many years before and she had returned to repay his kindness by marrying him. They fell in love and got married. However, their union was forbidden by heavenly laws and the couple were separated for all eternity, their love fading into a dream that haunts West Lake.
This timeless tale lingers around West Lake like mist on the water. When night falls, the delicate veil pulls apart and draws visitors into a magical world of music, light and dance where performers bring to life an adaptation of the legendary Madam White Snake.
Produced by famed director Zhang Yimou, "Impression West Lake" is a musical in five acts and performed on the surface of the lake. Colorful lights swirl across the water as dancers dressed in ancient costumes step on to a stage immersed three centimeters below the lake surface.
This creates an impression of a performance on water instead of a visible floating platform. Audiences watch, enthralled as the story unfolds in an interplay of scenes between dance and acting, accompanied by the melancholic voice of Jane Zhang, and music arranged by world-renowned Japanese composer Kitaro.
The show begins with the meeting of White Snake and Xu Xian at the Broken Bridge which in reality is not broken. Located at the west end of Bai Causeway, the snow on the raised portion of the causeway melts fastest under the sun during winter. When viewed from Baoshi (Precious Stone) Hill, it gives an impression of a broken bridge.
According to legend, this was where the couple first met and in Act One, the Broken Bridge is brought out by light sticks aligned to form a bridge before "breaking." Since it rarely snows in Hangzhou, the lingering snow on the Broken Bridge epitomizes the couple's fleeting moment together, and a love as pure as snow.
In the pitch dark night, Act Two begins with performers entering the scene with brightly lit fish-and-lotus lanterns. The fish rejoice and dance around the water as the lotuses bloom, bursting with joy for the blissful occasion. Friends and relatives arrive at a floating house on boats to celebrate the wedding of White Snake and Xu.
Yet this happy event is destroyed when woe descends on the couple in Act Three, with the capture of White Snake. Performers dressed in black raincoats play a fast vigorous rhythm with their water drums as brilliant flashes of light are reflected in the water splashes.
White Snake desperately tries to find an escape route while her husband is plagued with his distress of losing her. A white tower of mist rises above the water, and the couple perform their final dance together before White Snake bids her husband a final farewell.
Left alone in Act Four, Xu wanders aimlessly in grief as he recalls the rainy day of their first meeting. His sorrow is accompanied by dancers with white feathers that brush gentle ripples on the water surface; a story of undying love kept alive through generations of retelling.
Amid the rain, Act Five begins with the couple dancing separately, their moves mirroring despite being invisible to each other, shrouded by the mist. Xu sets off in a boat to pursue the remnants of their love, long faded into a dream. The performance thus ends with West Lake bathed in a colorful display of lights, the beautiful magical scene a tribute to its romantic legacy.
Like a piece of art where the strokes of an artist and nature blend to create a masterpiece, "Impression West Lake" evokes emotions and inspires imagination, leaving a deep impression on the audience.
Just like the couple, though they belong to legend, left remnants of their dreams and love to give West Lake an eternal nostalgic and melancholic beauty.
Note: Both the ticketing booth and the performance venue are just across the road from the Yuefei Temple.
The audience should be seated 30 minutes before the performance starts. If there is a light drizzle, the show will still resume as scheduled but refrain from using umbrellas.
Raincoats or ponchos will be provided by the staff to the audience upon arrival. In the event of lightning or a thunderstorm, the show will be cancelled and tickets can be refunded within 3 days.
Date: Daily, through December 31 (7:45pm for first show; 9:15pm for second show)
Tickets: 220 yuan for normal seating; 450 yuan for VIP stand, 600 yuan for grandstand
Company address: No. 29 Yanggongdi
Tel: (0571) 8796-2222
Fax: (0571) 8798-3313
Website: www.hzyxxh.com
This timeless tale lingers around West Lake like mist on the water. When night falls, the delicate veil pulls apart and draws visitors into a magical world of music, light and dance where performers bring to life an adaptation of the legendary Madam White Snake.
Produced by famed director Zhang Yimou, "Impression West Lake" is a musical in five acts and performed on the surface of the lake. Colorful lights swirl across the water as dancers dressed in ancient costumes step on to a stage immersed three centimeters below the lake surface.
This creates an impression of a performance on water instead of a visible floating platform. Audiences watch, enthralled as the story unfolds in an interplay of scenes between dance and acting, accompanied by the melancholic voice of Jane Zhang, and music arranged by world-renowned Japanese composer Kitaro.
The show begins with the meeting of White Snake and Xu Xian at the Broken Bridge which in reality is not broken. Located at the west end of Bai Causeway, the snow on the raised portion of the causeway melts fastest under the sun during winter. When viewed from Baoshi (Precious Stone) Hill, it gives an impression of a broken bridge.
According to legend, this was where the couple first met and in Act One, the Broken Bridge is brought out by light sticks aligned to form a bridge before "breaking." Since it rarely snows in Hangzhou, the lingering snow on the Broken Bridge epitomizes the couple's fleeting moment together, and a love as pure as snow.
In the pitch dark night, Act Two begins with performers entering the scene with brightly lit fish-and-lotus lanterns. The fish rejoice and dance around the water as the lotuses bloom, bursting with joy for the blissful occasion. Friends and relatives arrive at a floating house on boats to celebrate the wedding of White Snake and Xu.
Yet this happy event is destroyed when woe descends on the couple in Act Three, with the capture of White Snake. Performers dressed in black raincoats play a fast vigorous rhythm with their water drums as brilliant flashes of light are reflected in the water splashes.
White Snake desperately tries to find an escape route while her husband is plagued with his distress of losing her. A white tower of mist rises above the water, and the couple perform their final dance together before White Snake bids her husband a final farewell.
Left alone in Act Four, Xu wanders aimlessly in grief as he recalls the rainy day of their first meeting. His sorrow is accompanied by dancers with white feathers that brush gentle ripples on the water surface; a story of undying love kept alive through generations of retelling.
Amid the rain, Act Five begins with the couple dancing separately, their moves mirroring despite being invisible to each other, shrouded by the mist. Xu sets off in a boat to pursue the remnants of their love, long faded into a dream. The performance thus ends with West Lake bathed in a colorful display of lights, the beautiful magical scene a tribute to its romantic legacy.
Like a piece of art where the strokes of an artist and nature blend to create a masterpiece, "Impression West Lake" evokes emotions and inspires imagination, leaving a deep impression on the audience.
Just like the couple, though they belong to legend, left remnants of their dreams and love to give West Lake an eternal nostalgic and melancholic beauty.
Note: Both the ticketing booth and the performance venue are just across the road from the Yuefei Temple.
The audience should be seated 30 minutes before the performance starts. If there is a light drizzle, the show will still resume as scheduled but refrain from using umbrellas.
Raincoats or ponchos will be provided by the staff to the audience upon arrival. In the event of lightning or a thunderstorm, the show will be cancelled and tickets can be refunded within 3 days.
Date: Daily, through December 31 (7:45pm for first show; 9:15pm for second show)
Tickets: 220 yuan for normal seating; 450 yuan for VIP stand, 600 yuan for grandstand
Company address: No. 29 Yanggongdi
Tel: (0571) 8796-2222
Fax: (0571) 8798-3313
Website: www.hzyxxh.com
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