Charm Xiangxi show in Wulingyuan. SVDG

Charm Xiangxi in Wulingyuan.

Informations retrieved from internet/travel sites
Photos by GNT
 

It is a large song and dance bonfire performance put on at the Charming West Hunan International Cultural Square in Zhangjiajie every evening. On the basis of maintaining the original customs and culture of West Hunan, the performance has upgraded the music of ethnic groups and perfectly combined the traditional ethnic arts and skills with the sound, light and electricity technologies for the modern stage. The performance includes the typical local folk customs, such as “wedding lament”, “corpse driving”, witchcrafts, climbing the knife mountain, crossing the fireplace, as well as the modern songs and acrobatics, fully displaying the customs and lifestyle of the ethnic minority groups in West Hunan and reflecting the original culture of West Hunan.

This is a massive daily evening show, with seats of over a thousand people. The first (and major) part of the show is indoor - several song and dance routines, showcasing different parts of the province, with some amazing acrobatics on display. Large display boards on either side of the stage give a summary in non-Chinese languages. Worth viewing for the acrobatics and costumes. The last part is an outdoor performance where Qigong feats are displayed (pretty amazing too - could be a bit overwhelming for small kids).

The show is a mix of dance and singing all from different Chinese minority groups.

From a foreigner's perspective -The whole show is in Chinese. There are two screens, one on each side of the stage. During the act, a short summary will be displayed on the screen. First in Chinese, then Korean, then English, then Thai (?). While the Chinese summary is very good, the English summary is a very poor translation.
The show give you a good summary of Xiangxi's tribe believes and cultural show.

 The show performance are split into 2 sitting sections - indoor & outdoor. Indoor show last about 1 hour and performed by a group of talented performers; whereas the outdoor part of performance  is quite amazing, strong and a bit overwhelming for small kids, such as the kung fu master/Qi Gong practitioner carrying tons of cement weight on his chest and adding on weight by asking a few men to step on it, etc. Since it was a rainy day, both were performed indoor.

It is a nice show. It comprises of 6-8 different scenes depicting the life and stories of the local villages in old times. In between, there is a moderator who introduces each scene.

Some of the acrobatics in the scenes is very good and 2-3 of the songs are beautiful to listen to.
Performances list:
 Drum Dance

1. Fire drums dance
Miao nationality most unique dance art in China.

 2. Border town
Romantic love triangle story of Miao nationality at Western Hunan border town..

3. Chasing love:
Yao nationality unique love chasing custom-by climbing wooden house.

4. Mao gusi dance
Tujia nationality sacrificial ceremony.

5. Sangzhi folk song
The sweetest folk song in the world.

6. Big carnival
Primitive simplicity, hospitable Yao nationality’s carnival.

7. Date
One of the most representative traditional ethnic festivals of tujia people.

8. Crying marriage
The unique customs of tujia people.

9. Hero back to home
Eternal mystery of Charming Western Hunan.

Outside performance:
Tujia waving dance, Tujia hard qigong, Xiangxi magic witchcrafts show.

Ticket: 320 RMB per person plus transportation cost round trip.