徽秀黄山演艺城 - Cultural Show for the Huizhou Culture @ Huangshan in China

One of the things about tour packages to China, purchased in Singapore, would be the compulsory extra tours (usually about 4-5) that would cost an additional RMB 700 per person. Some can be quite boring although you might be blessed with pretty good ones too. 

This particular one to the Huangshan Performing Arts City (黄山演艺城) falls to the latter category even though I have had my initial doubt as I have watched a number of cultural shows in China, and most were, forgettable.

First and foremost, let's step in for that impressionable lobby of the "city". 

The decors were captivating, and dad was more than willing to be the model for photo-taking. Given the incessant rain we faced that day, being indoors did make our mood better! 

Pity there were other people lining up to take photographs, and we were quickly ushered to the entrance gantry after our tour guide collected the tickets.

And I can understand the urgency right after we stepped in! The place is called a city as there were other activities within, including mini shows. Sadly, as we were quite late, there was already a big crowd, and me being short means I can't see much anyway.

So, I took the opportunity to explore.

Good times don't last as the final mini show ended shortly after. 

Above was the main stage where the mini shows were held earlier.

And once again, we were shepherded to the main performance hall even though there were so much to see! Well, when it comes to tour packages, there were other tour mates; hence, we can't really OTOT. 

By the sides of the entrance to the performance hall, two streets that reminded me of Old Hongkong / Shanghai; it would have been nice to come earlier, and maybe shop / dine as the shops seemed to have closed for the day. 

Now, before we start the performance; I guess it would be good to have some basic information about Huizhou. It's a distinctive regional culture that I had not heard of before this trip, with a spoken dialect and said to "flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties". So prominent it was that it has its own cuisine, architecture, arts and merchant group.

Entering the large performance hall with a massive stage, and large LED walls that were all the norm nowadays. I had my first encounter of them in 2019, on our eight days' Guizhou trip, and were in awe then.

Four types of seats like luxury, premium, moving and normal. Ours would be the normal one that cost  RMB 188 per person; however, we were pretty close to the stage on the second row, just that we were on the side. 

Before the show begins, here're two performers to hype things up a little bit! And one of the things getting all of us excited would be the throwing of free things! 

I was one of the lucky ones!

But why lollipop!? Very sweet leh. 

And what's with this robot lion!?

Give us a real dog dressed as a lion instead! 

The start of the show, and my mouth was already wide open. The amount of LEDs used was a lot more than the show I caught at Guizhou, and they were movable and combinable, creating a visual treat that kept us hooked. 

Starting Act - with the wide, center LED panel that gave us a short description of what it was all about. For foreigners, please be assured that aside from Chinese, the description would be translated into Korean and English too.

This act was about the legendary Yellow Emperor, "who was believed to have practiced alchemy and gained immortality" at Huangshan; hence, making the region famous. 

There were acrobatic performances above us and one thing I thought was strange that even though the male performers looked like they were half naked, with pumped up abs; they were instead wearing clothes with abs imprinted! 

First Act - said to be based on a poem by Li Bai, who was known to be the "best and most important poets of the Tang dynasty, and even in the whole of Chinese poetry." I do agree as the only Chinese poem I know is from Li Bai, and it's called Quiet Night Thought (静夜思).

Anyway, this act was said to be the love between a mortal dong yong and the 7th fairy on Huangshan, which there was one problem; I can't seem to find the poem by Li Bai mentioning about this even though it is indeed a "classic Chinese legend about a dutiful mortal man, a celestial goddess, and their forbidden romance".

There were acrobatics involved, common for such shows in China, and performances could be brought even closer to the audience, making us work by turning our heads! 

What I was most shocked was the immense flexibility of the stage; it could be filled up with water so quickly, and before you knew it, a boat would be rowed along the whole stretch! And remember I mentioned about the moving type of seat? 

The seats in the centre front, could be moved to the sides, when the need arises for the act to have a center platform elevated to bring the main stars closer to the audience! Boy, glad we weren't given the moving seats as I might get motion sickness with the occasional moving! And yes, Dong Yong and the seventh fairy did get together.

Second Act - given that the area is densely populated, many of the young men of Huizhou would venture out to trade so that the families can survive. Livelihood was badly affected at the end of the Ming dynasty, when natural disaster struck, resulting in even the women striking out of the region to make a living. 

Hope for the survival of the families back in Huizhou, some survived, some died. And a moment of sadness when loved ones at home heard the news that someone dear had passed away. p.s. on a funnier note, they brought in real donkeys that served as couriers for the goods and there was an impressive scene of a flood! 

Third Act - the Huizhou merchants going into the palace during the Qing Dynasty, presenting gifts to the Emperor, and opera performances. Given that it's a palace setting, everything was just gold and resplendent! 

More photographs, and I am wondering seriously, how does the plumbing work with so much water gushing out, and the mechanics of the stage going up and down? Curiosity on how it looks like underneath the stage! 

Fourth Act - talked about the faithfulness of the Huizhou women, who would patiently wait for the physical return of their husbands, even if it takes years. Nowadays with high speed trains and aeroplanes, I guess the wait could be very much shortened. 

As you can see, many people were recording the show! Although I do take videos as well, it's really a short snippet to let viewers have a sneak preview of what to expect. I would still strongly recommend watching the show, with your own eyes, at Huangshan Performing Arts City.

=====

Finale where every performers would come together! It was said that there were over a 100 performers and most were "are graduates of professional art schools, with a significant proportion being special effects and acrobatic performers". Wow! 

On our end way out.

The "show" continued outside Huangshan Performing Arts City, with a "bonfire" and members of the public, and audience, participating in the activity of dancing around the fire, in the cold!  Not for us Singapore tourists as we can't wait to go back and rest in the comfort of our hotel room. 

The video montage for your viewing pleasure! 

Actual Ticket Pricing

As above.

Click HERE for our 8 Days Huangshan, Tunxi, Yixian, Wuyuan, Mount Qiyun, Thousand-Island Lake, Hangzhou Tour Package to China via CTC Travel Agency