Yangshuo: Impression Sanjie Liu

After a day of rafting and biking, we decided to spend a relaxing evening at one of the world's largest outdoor water theaters. Located on the Li River, the amphitheater is situated only a short distance from downtown and uses the towering karst mountains as the backdrop.

The show, Impression Sanjie Liu, is a light show set to the music from a movie of the same name and produced by Yimou Zang, the director of the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony. There are apparently seven chapters to the show though I can't honestly say I was able to pick them out. 

The show focuses on the lives of the people living around the Li river displaying their culture, music and dress. A staggering 600 actors perform in this show, most of whom are local fisherman.

 

Like many of the shows I have seen in China, it was cheesy and silly at times, but overall enjoyable. My guests did not speak any Chinese and were still able to understand the general themes of the show. While certainly an activity you could skip in Yangshuo, it was a fun way to spend the evening, surrounded by beautiful mountains. 

Sichuan Opera

After viewing the Giant Buddah, we tucked into some local cuisine and spent the remainder of our evening at the Sichuan Opera. If you want to view a traditional opera, this isn't going to be your cup of tea. But if you want to watch shadow puppets, contortionists, acts of incredible strength, and some cheesy dancing, you've come to the right place. 

 

 

 

My favorite part of the night was the changing of the masks, a staple of the Sichuan Opera. Called biàn liǎn (which literally means face changing), the changing of the masks is an ancient Chinese art in which performers wear brightly colored costumes and masks which they change from one face to another almost instantaneously with the swipe of a fan, a movement of the head, or wave of the hand.

The secret for how to accomplish this quick face change is a closely guarded secret among performers which is passed down from one generation to the next within families.

 

Is the show touristy? Absolutely. But I still enjoyed myself and was pleasantly surprised to understand more of the language than I would have expected. I guess all my Chinese lessons are paying off! But don't let the language barrier stop you from seeing this over the top spectacle if you find yourself with a free night in Leshan.