michael_chmilar
VIP, Again
All of the photos and stories about me that are circulating about me through China are having a positive effect. I have once again attained Very Important Person status.
On the day I returned from Huanglong to Jiuzhaigou, I decided to go see the show that the Sheraton puts on everynight. It is a two-hour song-and-dance extravaganza, based on the folk dances and songs of the local minority people - the Tibetans and Qiang.
When I bought the ticket, which cost Y180, the woman said, "I am putting you in the VIP section" (which turns out to be the front row). Most of the attendees get tickets from their tour (which the tour buys at a discount), and Sheration guests (who pay Y1200 and up for a room) probably get complimentary tickets. I guess paying full price for the ticket qualifies for VIP status.
The photo is from the end of the show, where the performers dress up in various traditional styles of clothing.
The theme of the show is to portray the courtship rituals of the local people, interspersed with various songs and dance numbers. There was narration, but it was in Chinese, so I couldn't follow it. However, the gist of what was happening was fairly obvious.
A nice thing about the show is that it is interactive. The people in the first few rows (VIP's such as myself, and some riff-raff from the rows behind) are hauled up onstage at times.
The first time is to circle a Tibetan prayer wheel, to open the show. Then, we all drink a toast of local wine, and everyone clinks glasses with at least one performer. We also have to try to follow some dance steps, onstage.
Towards the end of the show, the performers show how a tug-of-war contest is used to decide which man gets to choose a bride. Four audience members are invited onstage to compete. The winner disappears for a while, and shows up later in native costume. He gets to choose a bride and "marry" her.
The show was pretty slick. The performers all did a good job, and it was very entertaining.
Tomorrow, I return to Chengdu on a bus. The five days I've spent in Jiuzhaigou have been great, and I am sad to leave.
VIP, Again
All of the photos and stories about me that are circulating about me through China are having a positive effect. I have once again attained Very Important Person status.
On the day I returned from Huanglong to Jiuzhaigou, I decided to go see the show that the Sheraton puts on everynight. It is a two-hour song-and-dance extravaganza, based on the folk dances and songs of the local minority people - the Tibetans and Qiang.
When I bought the ticket, which cost Y180, the woman said, "I am putting you in the VIP section" (which turns out to be the front row). Most of the attendees get tickets from their tour (which the tour buys at a discount), and Sheration guests (who pay Y1200 and up for a room) probably get complimentary tickets. I guess paying full price for the ticket qualifies for VIP status.
The photo is from the end of the show, where the performers dress up in various traditional styles of clothing.
The theme of the show is to portray the courtship rituals of the local people, interspersed with various songs and dance numbers. There was narration, but it was in Chinese, so I couldn't follow it. However, the gist of what was happening was fairly obvious.
A nice thing about the show is that it is interactive. The people in the first few rows (VIP's such as myself, and some riff-raff from the rows behind) are hauled up onstage at times.
The first time is to circle a Tibetan prayer wheel, to open the show. Then, we all drink a toast of local wine, and everyone clinks glasses with at least one performer. We also have to try to follow some dance steps, onstage.
Towards the end of the show, the performers show how a tug-of-war contest is used to decide which man gets to choose a bride. Four audience members are invited onstage to compete. The winner disappears for a while, and shows up later in native costume. He gets to choose a bride and "marry" her.
The show was pretty slick. The performers all did a good job, and it was very entertaining.
Tomorrow, I return to Chengdu on a bus. The five days I've spent in Jiuzhaigou have been great, and I am sad to leave.