Golden Mask Dynasty

I cannot recall the date or day we saw this show but this is really an awesome show and worthy of mention.

Of all the shows we saw in China, this show is really the most colorful, the most lavish in terms of costume, the most inspiring in terms of its music, the most difficult in execution in terms of its acrobatic content and the most unique in terms of its stage presentation.

Built at a cost of RM100 million by Overseas Chinese Town, the theater features  rotating stage behind a stage. The theater itself could be rotated to different heights and angles. 200 actors and dancers from China and abroad made up the cast of this famous show.

The story depicts the success of the golden mask queen of the golden mask dynasty who repelled and captured the blue mask king of the blue kingdom. 

Soon the country returned to its quiet pastoral life. One day the queen decided to build a tree to symbolize the peace and serenity of the kingdom and released the blue mask king. Grateful for his release and touched by her benevolence, the king fell in love with the queen.

The story is told in moving songs, rich music, 20 over well choreographed dances. Ballet, modern dance and Chinese acrobatic stunts intertwined together were incredible.  The story which was written in English and another language (looks like Korean) was flashed into side screens before each important dance scenes.

The movable stage had at least 3 levels so that dancers were dancing and performing acrobatic stunts upside down and right side up. The choreography of dance and acrobatic stunts is really mind boggling and breath-taking, really like a 3-dimensional performance on stage. Watching the dancing and singing at the front of the stage, one also is constantly conscious of performances right at the back of the stage which opens up to another 2 levels deep into its recesses!

One had to keep one's eyes darting all over the place to truly enjoy this whole show as different things were happening at different part of the stage!

The actors and dancers wore costumes of a by-gone era. There was also an amazing peacock dance to incredibly haunting music and fantastic acoustics and lighting.

Even more incredible was the floor of the stage that opened up to rivers and waterfalls. Halfway through the musical drama, the versatile stage opened up a huge waterfall depicting scenes of a great flood which was part of the story! The waterfall fell from the top of the stage down to the stage at eye-level flowing down a series of staircase-like rocks. Water fell into trenches built into the front and sides of the stage. 

The country of the golden mask queen was badly flooded and she gave her life to save her people. Later she became a sunbird watching over her people whom she loved very much.

All I can say is that this is the artistic capability of Chinese engineering brought into the theater to show-case the huge talents and gifts of the Chinese people.

This trip to China is eye-opening for me. I have begun to appreciate Tim's love for China and why he has such a huge admiration for this nation.

Indeed this is my ancestral heritage too!

Perhaps one day I will visit Fujian, the province of my hock kien speaking ancestors....