Return to China -- Part 37, Impressions

After a long drive we arrived at an outdoor stadium not far from Yangshuo where we watched another production by Zhang Yimou. "She" and I have now seen three of these ethnic spectacles. Impression Liu Sanjie was Zhang's first such effort; it opened in 2002. It was interesting to see how his stagecraft has evolved over time. this first "Impression" has no narrative theme, consisting simply of a demonstration of dances, costumes, and folklore associated with local minority cultures. Like all of Zhang's stagework, and many of his films, it features a lot of massed drills and dances and elaborate costuming, lighting and set design. Here are some pictures I took at the performance. You'll see what I mean.

The presentation featured several local people who were featured prominently in the finale.

Browsing around the intertubes I ran across this YouTube recording of the program. Check it out and enjoy the work of a master director.