"Heaven on earth" is how Marco Polo described it. At the time, Hangzhou was the imperial capital of China. Over the eons, it has been a favorite place for the rich and powerful to enjoy the beauties of nature. A special grand canal was built in order to connect Beijing with Hangzhou. Westerners know about the Great Wall, but the Grand Canal was undoubtedly much more important to China. The Wall never did accomplish its purpose, but the canal continues to accomplish its goals, 1500 years later. Check out the article "China's Grand Canal" on Wikipedia. It is far and away a more amazing construction, in my view. Here are Peter and Fiona enjoying the gardens near the West Lake with us.
Hangzhou has become reachable from Shanghai in only one hour by high-speed rail. We went on a spring Saturday, and it seemed as if the entire country had decided to go to Hanghzou that day. Peter and Fiona joined us by taking the early train, and we enjoyed the day together. Even our guide, a native of Hangzhou, was stymied by the traffic. The cherry blossoms were in bloom, and the weather was perfect. We encountered many, many Chinese tour groups, and a few Korean ones as well. People go to Hangzhou for the incredibly beautiful lake: West Lake. With its stunning vistas of picturesque hills, sweet little islands and pagodas, West Lake is central to China's psyche. Emperors, statesmen and Chairmen have chosen it for a residence. And, as we found out, on a beautiful spring day, everyone wants to be there. Nearly everyone was there on Saturday, and we nearly missed our train back to Shanghai. Our guide, Jack, a Hangzhou resident all his life and very experienced guide, was surprised by the level of crowds and traffic.
Jack also pointed out that West Lake is perfect in its beauty because of its size: not so large that it feels like an ocean, nor so small that it feels like a pond. The hills in the distance (unfortunately not visible in this shot -- too much haze) give the perfect backdrop to the lake, also.
On the boat trip, there were a number of Korean tourists. Jack introduced us to an older man who was a veteran of the Korean war, and who made a point of shaking hands with the Koreans, bringing about some closure to old animosities for himself, and perhaps for them. In this time of increasing tensions with North Korea, we can only hope that the war doesn't open up all over again. Jack maintains that China will not allow North Korea to attack the US. But so many other things could happen that would be just as bad. (Pray for peace. The people of China want peace, I can tell you that.)
Jack also pointed out that West Lake is perfect in its beauty because of its size: not so large that it feels like an ocean, nor so small that it feels like a pond. The hills in the distance (unfortunately not visible in this shot -- too much haze) give the perfect backdrop to the lake, also.
On the boat trip, there were a number of Korean tourists. Jack introduced us to an older man who was a veteran of the Korean war, and who made a point of shaking hands with the Koreans, bringing about some closure to old animosities for himself, and perhaps for them. In this time of increasing tensions with North Korea, we can only hope that the war doesn't open up all over again. Jack maintains that China will not allow North Korea to attack the US. But so many other things could happen that would be just as bad. (Pray for peace. The people of China want peace, I can tell you that.)
Another spectacular show in the afternoon left me wondering what it took to get a Chinese crowd to its feet. The acrobatics, choreography, fight scenes ("battle for Hangzhou" sequence), and operatic elements were wonderful. The scenery included moving seats: us! Two blocks of seats in the front (where we were seated) moved back and forth, allowing extra stage space in the front. In the exposed space, actors came and went from below, and were raised up high on elevating sections. Horses galloped across the back of the stage at key moments in the battle scene. (We all wished Fiona's brother, Alec, could see the fight scene, as stage combat is his specialty). Plus, at one point the whole front half of the stage area was flooded for the lake element. There were even torrents of water pouring over the back scenery to give the full flood effect.
This photo is simply the first comic act of the show: two clown/acrobats loosening up the audience. I quit taking pictures after this, as I wanted to focus on experiencing the show.
What I don't get is why, at the curtain call, the audience didn't stay put and give the actors their due in the form of applause. In both the live shows we saw, the audience started leaving before it was over, and barely applauded as the actors made their curtain calls. Didn't feel right to me.
Bill and I agreed that of the two shows ("Impression: West Lake" and this one), Impression: West Lake was the more profound piece. But both were spectacular.
In the area of the theater, there were replicas of the White House and the Washington Monument (the latter covered in huge, red Chinese characters saying I don't know what). It was a little weird, but obviously intended as an hommage. Or, perhaps it was a not-too-subtle co-opting of the symbols of American democracy and political power. Or both.
This photo is simply the first comic act of the show: two clown/acrobats loosening up the audience. I quit taking pictures after this, as I wanted to focus on experiencing the show.
What I don't get is why, at the curtain call, the audience didn't stay put and give the actors their due in the form of applause. In both the live shows we saw, the audience started leaving before it was over, and barely applauded as the actors made their curtain calls. Didn't feel right to me.
Bill and I agreed that of the two shows ("Impression: West Lake" and this one), Impression: West Lake was the more profound piece. But both were spectacular.
In the area of the theater, there were replicas of the White House and the Washington Monument (the latter covered in huge, red Chinese characters saying I don't know what). It was a little weird, but obviously intended as an hommage. Or, perhaps it was a not-too-subtle co-opting of the symbols of American democracy and political power. Or both.