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Reviving unique stage tradition
September 19, 2011, Monday
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HANGZHOU is doing its best to revive spirited Wasi Goulan folk culture from the Song Dynasty. Xu Wenwen takes a look at venues offering Wasi-inspired performances such as acrobatics and dancing.
Dating back some 1,000 years, when China had one of the most prosperous and advanced economies in the world, Chinese people enjoyed going to Wasi Goulan, a place providing amusing performances.
The Wasi Goulan culture was born in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Wasi means houses with tiles and Goulan means to line out the house with railings. Wasi Goulan was a large theater with different troupes separated by railings. Each troupe staged performances to the public, including acrobatics, puppet shows and shadow plays.
The culture of Wasi Goulan developed fully during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) at the then capital Lin'an (now Hangzhou), home to more than 20 Wasi Goulan theaters. Many of them were along today's Southern Song Imperial Street.
The folk culture lasted for centuries, but gradually disappeared due to changes in dynasties and the coming of the technology age. Today, Hangzhou is reviving the lost culture by giving shows influenced by Wasi Goulan culture along the Imperial Street.
Shanghai Daily finds some venues that help visitors learn more about Wasi Goulan.
Drum Tower
The Drum Tower is a base for Wasi Goulan performances.
Everyday at 10am and 2pm there is a free Chinese folk music show. At 1pm and 3pm there is a free acrobatics show, and at 4pm and 8:30pm, the Drum Tower's theater stages a Wasi Culture Show.
The Wasi Culture Show is from the perspective of an old eunuch of the Southern Song royal court recalling the prosperous scenes of the royal family, such as the emperor's visit to the tower, court dancing and music, acrobatics and magic.
So the show features many types of performance. An explanation of the Southern Song Dynasty's culture is also included.
During national holidays, actors in costume inspect the Imperial Street, as was down during the Song Dynasty, before the show in the evening.
Visitors can also see the tower's drum, which holds a Guinness Record as the world's largest drum. It measures 3.8 meters in diameter and 10.8 meters in circumference.
Drum tower was used in ancient times to give people the correct time. To ensure everybody could hear it, the tower was always in the center of a city.
Hangzhou's Drum Tower is in the middle of Imperial Street. The emperor and his attendants would rest at the tower during inspection tours of the street.
It is a two-floor stone tower, of which the ground floor is an arch over the Imperial Street, and the second floor embraces a theater and a garden where people can sip a cup of tea or coffee.
Address: south end of Zhongshan Road S.
Admission to tower: 10 yuan (US$1.57)
Admission to the show: 118-138 yuan
Tel: (0571) 8788-6502
Songcheng Theme Park
Songcheng Theme Park is one of China's largest theme parks and showcases the culture of the Song Dynasty.
The park recreates the bustling city scene of the Song Dynasty, thus many feel like they are taking a stroll in an ancient town.
"The Romance of the Song Dynasty" performance tells the history of Hangzhou from ancient to modern times through acrobatics, dance, kung fu, opera and music, among which, many Wasi Guolan folk arts are shown in a modern form.
The one-hour show is said to draw around 2 million spectators a year. The theater seats 3,000 people.
Address: 148 Zhijiang Rd
Admission to park: 80 yuan
Admission to show: 180-480 yuan
Tel: 400-8888-518
Hefang Street
Everyday on Hefang Street, a quaint pedestrian street that intersects with Imperial Street, a half-hour acrobatic show takes place at 10am, 4:30pm and 7:30pm.
The venue is in front of 196 Hefang Street, and the show given by folk artists consists mostly of traditional Chinese acrobatics such as jar balancing and rolling plank stunts.
Dating back some 1,000 years, when China had one of the most prosperous and advanced economies in the world, Chinese people enjoyed going to Wasi Goulan, a place providing amusing performances.
The Wasi Goulan culture was born in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Wasi means houses with tiles and Goulan means to line out the house with railings. Wasi Goulan was a large theater with different troupes separated by railings. Each troupe staged performances to the public, including acrobatics, puppet shows and shadow plays.
The culture of Wasi Goulan developed fully during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) at the then capital Lin'an (now Hangzhou), home to more than 20 Wasi Goulan theaters. Many of them were along today's Southern Song Imperial Street.
The folk culture lasted for centuries, but gradually disappeared due to changes in dynasties and the coming of the technology age. Today, Hangzhou is reviving the lost culture by giving shows influenced by Wasi Goulan culture along the Imperial Street.
Shanghai Daily finds some venues that help visitors learn more about Wasi Goulan.
Drum Tower
The Drum Tower is a base for Wasi Goulan performances.
Everyday at 10am and 2pm there is a free Chinese folk music show. At 1pm and 3pm there is a free acrobatics show, and at 4pm and 8:30pm, the Drum Tower's theater stages a Wasi Culture Show.
The Wasi Culture Show is from the perspective of an old eunuch of the Southern Song royal court recalling the prosperous scenes of the royal family, such as the emperor's visit to the tower, court dancing and music, acrobatics and magic.
So the show features many types of performance. An explanation of the Southern Song Dynasty's culture is also included.
During national holidays, actors in costume inspect the Imperial Street, as was down during the Song Dynasty, before the show in the evening.
Visitors can also see the tower's drum, which holds a Guinness Record as the world's largest drum. It measures 3.8 meters in diameter and 10.8 meters in circumference.
Drum tower was used in ancient times to give people the correct time. To ensure everybody could hear it, the tower was always in the center of a city.
Hangzhou's Drum Tower is in the middle of Imperial Street. The emperor and his attendants would rest at the tower during inspection tours of the street.
It is a two-floor stone tower, of which the ground floor is an arch over the Imperial Street, and the second floor embraces a theater and a garden where people can sip a cup of tea or coffee.
Address: south end of Zhongshan Road S.
Admission to tower: 10 yuan (US$1.57)
Admission to the show: 118-138 yuan
Tel: (0571) 8788-6502
Songcheng Theme Park
Songcheng Theme Park is one of China's largest theme parks and showcases the culture of the Song Dynasty.
The park recreates the bustling city scene of the Song Dynasty, thus many feel like they are taking a stroll in an ancient town.
"The Romance of the Song Dynasty" performance tells the history of Hangzhou from ancient to modern times through acrobatics, dance, kung fu, opera and music, among which, many Wasi Guolan folk arts are shown in a modern form.
The one-hour show is said to draw around 2 million spectators a year. The theater seats 3,000 people.
Address: 148 Zhijiang Rd
Admission to park: 80 yuan
Admission to show: 180-480 yuan
Tel: 400-8888-518
Hefang Street
Everyday on Hefang Street, a quaint pedestrian street that intersects with Imperial Street, a half-hour acrobatic show takes place at 10am, 4:30pm and 7:30pm.
The venue is in front of 196 Hefang Street, and the show given by folk artists consists mostly of traditional Chinese acrobatics such as jar balancing and rolling plank stunts.
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