Impression: Lijiang is a large-scale show composed of a series of musical performances that largely portray the life of the Naxi, Yi, and Bai peoples of the western part of Yunnan (雲南). The show takes place inside Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park near the town of Lijiang (麗江), at an incredible elevation of 3500 metres in an outdoor theater specifically designed to showcase the mountain which is used as a backdrop.
The production itself is designed by Zhang Yimou (director of Raise the Red Lantern, Hero,House of Flying Daggers), Fan Yue and Wang Chaoge, and features a cast of over 500 people, and a more than 100 horses. It runs since 2007.
Westerners might initially be surprised by the matriarchal context of the performances – depicting the women going to work while the men laze around, get drunk and sing songs to make their women proud. It should be considered that both cultures are quite different to most others, even to that of Han Chinese culture. The Yi and Bai are a strictly matriarchal culture while the Naxi (which is officially regarded as a parent culture to both the Yi and Bai) has substantial matriarchal elements. To balance things out there are performances that depict the famous tea trading of Yunnan, which was a dangerous activity for the men of the time as it involved negotiating the infamous and treacherous mountain.
By the way: The view of the massif from the gardens at the Black Dragon Pool (Heilong Tan) in Lijiang is noted as one of China’s finest views, and part of Yulong Snow Mountain Scenic Area, a AAAAA-classified scenic area.
Never thought I’d say this, but I finally painted with my one fear – green. As much as I hate and avoid painting with the colour, I think it actually turned out pretty cool I think! It’s a scene from from one of my favourite films, ‘House of Flying Daggers’ because green features so heavily in the film and it’s one of the first things that came to mind. It was going to be either this, or a portrait of Shrek #brbchasingdreams
