Shanghai Opera - a sneak peak behind the scenes

This month I took the opportunity to participate in a tour of the Shanghai Opera School. 

The Shanghai Opera School is one of the top 2 opera schools in China (the other being based in Beijing) .  They take students in from the age of 5 and they are schooled up until the time they attend college - when they hope to graduate and earn entry into the College of Arts.  Only 50% of the students will succeed and enter the College of Arts. 

We attended on a regular school day, so the students were all busy with their classes. 

The tour was organised by the Shanghai Expatriate Association and lead by Mr Zhao, a well known playwright and an early student of the school. 

We started our tour with a sneak peak into the make up room where the performers were preparing themselves for the afternoon performance. 

It can take up to 2 hours to prepare one's makeup

After makeup it was on to wardrobe to view the costumes up close.  

Outer garment warn by concubine

Embroided detail on costume

Classic Chinese opera dates back to the 3rd century.  Unlike western opera, each performer must become proficient not only in voice but must also master acrobatics, dancing, drama and instrumentation.  

The students must learn all of the components of opera and complete standard schooling. 

Acrobatics training 

After an hour of watching the students undertake their acrobatics training it was back to the dressing room to watch the students dress for their performance

Given that the facial expressions and facial art work form such an important role in the opera the performers are required to have their faces pulled back and held taut by a excruciatingly tight head band.

The costumes and head pieces the performers wear are extremely heavy and are worn layer upon layer.  Apparently they are overwhelmingly hot. 

So it would seem that regardless of the art - there always seems to be a hidden agony behind the beauty! 

But the show must go on! 

The first performance the students treat us to is a mimed performance accompanied only by the string and drum orchestra.  It is humorous and very much like a 3 stooges performances where exaggerated moves and facial expressions portray much of the story! 

There is a great deal of acrobatics and a phenomenal choreographed fight scene. 

The Hero

The clown

The duel

The second performance is more like a play where the spoken word is used. It too is accompanied by the string and drum orchestra and involves dance and acrobatics. 

The third and final performance is a solo performance which tells the story (through song) of a concubine that finds out her master is off with yet another woman.  This performance is  more akin to what  I imagine Chinese opera to be......with that caterwaul howl that I would personally  find it difficult to sit through for hours on end!  That said it's an amazing performance! 

   

Despite the school being well attended by many a dedicated student Mr Zhao tells us that this form of performing art is becoming a less and less popular pursuit for talented youth as they see more opportunity for fame and fortune in the pop industry. 

It was indeed a rare treat to slip behind the scenes of an everyday school of the arts and gain an insight into what it takes to become a performer of the Chinese opera and to learn and experience yet another element of China's fascinating culture and tradition. 

The lake of 1000 islands - a pictorial journey

This Mid Autumn festival we took the opportunity to travel with friends to Qiandao Hu (1000 Island Lake)  in the Zhejiang province.

Qiandao Lake lies approximately 400 klm south west of Shanghai. It is a man made lake formed in 1959 when the mountainous region was flooded for the  Xin'an River hydroelectric scheme.  The Flooding created 1078 islands that dot the massive water way.   The area is now China's largest National Park. 

The trip was organised by the Shanghai cycling club and we stayed in a private lakeside villa that was akin to a youth hostel.  It was clean and comfortable with excellent access to the lake and cycling paths. 

Day 1. 

An early start for us - up at 5am  for a 6 am departure.  The drive took 4 and 1/2 hours. 

Not long after our arrival we were setting off for our first ride. 

Gearing up ready to ride - Russ stays behind to relax and catch up on his reading. 

The day 1 ride is a 30 klm lakeside ride on a newly built bike path.

It's nice to be away off the road and just enjoy the ride

There are plenty of great spots to stop for a rest - given that the temperature was around 40 degrees! 

Serenity prevails 

One of the many lake crossings

A welcome dip in the lake after the ride

We were the first foreign group the villa had ever seen and hosted.  Their hospitality was overwhelming and food was the key focus.  Lunch on day one was a fabulous array of local fare.  A variety of vegetable dishes including carrots in ginger, spicy broccoli, garlic beans and cabbage were dished up  along with a couple of meat dishes.  Of course for the local Chinese meat is very  expensive and the cuts are usually heavily fat and bone laden and not generally to our taste!  But worth a try! 

Dinner was an 'American" BBQ  and the number one dish served was "Australian tube steaks" .  It turned out that none of the locals really knew how to cook up a barbecue so it wasn't long until Russ stepped in and had the "Webber' aflame and the "Australian tube steaks"  (read chinese take on american hot dogs) grilling.

The evening ended eating mooncakes under the light of the full harvest moon. 

Day 2  

Day 2 was the day of the "long ride"  100 klm through the national park.  I , along with a number of others, opted to skip the 60 klm hill climb and join the group at "banana bridge" where we cycled 20 klm through undulating hills into the local village for lunch.

The scenery was absolutely breathtaking.  The lake glimmered in the midday sun, and the villages were surrounded by lush green fields of mulberry trees (grown to feed the silk worms of Hongzhou) corn, tea and beans.  Out on the lakes old fisherman cast their nets from hand crafted wooden rafts and the women tilled the fields. The entire experience was just "so incredibly chinese" and what I think travelling is all about.  The roads were dotted with locals selling their village grown produce; green oranges, beans and homemade buns. 

Banana Bridge

The view from Banana Bridge

The view from Banana Bridge

Some of the SISU team ready to ride!

Road side animal pens

Road side barrow carrying local produce

The corn fields

Village fields

Waterway crossing

Lakeside village housing

Valley view. 

At the end of the ride we were once again treated to local fare - cooked by the villagers and served in a local cafe.  Once again the vegetable dishes were spectacular and along with the commonly served ginger carrots, salty cabbage and garlic beans we ate spicy aubergine and glass noodles with charred spinach!  It was really very yummy!  (although I don't think anyone went for the sliced fried pig fat or soft chilli tofu!)

Our presence in the village caused quite a stir - who were these foreign white people dressed in lycra and riding bikes the likes they had never seen?

I'm not sure the photos above do the ride justice, there really was something quite special travelling through these old villages, seeing the "old" China and having the locals call out to us through their toothless smiles.  Perhaps one of my favourite moments was when we hitched a draft ride with a couple of "took took" drivers who thought it was both curious and hilarious having a few foreign girls slip in and cycle furiously behind them! 

After lunch it was back to the villa for quick change and the long drive home.  

It was a fabulous couple of days away - where we got to see a wonderful piece of China and meet some fantastic people from all over the globe! 

Russell's charge!
This is pretty girl - Russ took care of her while we were out riding, they became great friends she was absolutely gorgeous!  

Next month we venture further afield to the province of Sichuan and board a vessell for a 4 day journey down the Yangzi river! 

Mid Autumn Festival

This week China celebrated the Mid Autumn Festival.  It's a little like our Easter celebrations (without the religious significance!) 

The date of the mid Autumn festival is set by the lunar calendar (so the date changes every year), the nation has a  2 day holiday and the celebration is marked by the giving of "moon cakes".

The Mid Autumn Festival, also known as the Full Moon Festival, is celebrated on the first full moon in late September or early October.  The festival is traditionally a harvest festival celebrating the end of the season and the beginning of the next, it is based on 3 key concepts - the gathering of the harvest, thanksgiving and prayer.  

In this day and age, family and friends gather together, eat together, share moon cakes and wander down to the bund in the evening  to get a good view of the full moon.   

Moon cakes (pictured above) come in all shapes and sizes and are boxed up and decorated exquisitely . Moon cakes are given to friends, family and employees.  Moon cakes are round pastries filled with a variety of fillings.  Some sweet some savoury. They are eaten on the day of the full moon.

During the festival the streets are decorated with red lanterns that hang from light poles, float off into the night or float on the waterways.  The lanterns signify fertility.  

China has only 3 holidays which provide workers time off - The mid autumn festival, the National holiday (in October)  and the Chinese New year. During these holidays Shanghai swells with the factory workers that travel in from the surrounding provinces. Many of these workers have never seen foreigners so we find we become quite the novelty.  

Children are encouraged to speak to us using the only word of english they know "hello"  , they ask to have  their photos taken with us and  men and women sidle up to us to get a closer look!

In another uniquely Chinese way  a "holiday"  doesn't quite mean what it means in our world. In order to have the Thursday and Friday off work all companies require their staff to make the time up - so everyone in China works the Sunday after the holiday! 

For our part we  travelled to Qiandao Hu (1000 island lakes) approximately 400 klm south west of Shanghai

Qiandao Hu is home to the largest national Park in China - a great place to cycle and chill out for a few days.  

Check out our next post  - a pictorial journey through Qiandao Hu! 

O & A in Shanghai - the antique and insect market

Just getting out and about (O&A)  in Shanghai is one of our favourite things to do.  

Some days we simply set ourselves a destination and head off to see what we can find.  With no real plan other than to head in the general direction of our end goal the days are often full hidden gems and surprises!  

Today the destination is the Dongtai Rd Antique market and the nearby insect market (if we can find it!). 

We begin our journey with a quick ferry trip across the Hongpu river and then head west into the old town of Puxi. 

Although an everyday sight all around Shanghai - I never cease to be amazed at the locals and their ability to stack their wears on their tri-carts and peddle it all around Shanghai.  

Not far from the ferry point we enter the "old town" and middle Fangbang Rd - an area that is frequented by tourists and sells all forms of Chinese wares!  Its a lively and colourful spot!  It is also home to the Jing'an Temple and close to a number of the fabric markets. 

Middle Fangbang Rd - with the new Shanghai Tower in the Background

Colourful Chinese Tassels

Local lunch spot 

Chinese Souvenirs 

Toilet time!

For many Chinese nappies are considered an unnecessary and unaffordable expense !  In the older parts of Shanghai it is a common sight to see children going to the toilet in the streets!  To make it all that much easier the children wear crutch-less pants! 

I can't say it is anything I will ever get used to and to make matters worse Taxi drivers also tend to urinate in the street - up against any wall they can find! 

But I digress - lets get back to our walk to Dongtai Rd! 

Along the way - behind the old town - we find an old man making and selling leather belts.  I bargain and buy a lovely black leather belt for $4.  He becomes quite a celebrity making and selling a belt for a foreigner - and all his neighbours come out to see him and heckle him! 

What's in the box?

After an amazing walk through what could easily be called the slums of Shanghai we end up at the insect market - all around are tables and tables of these round boxes......what could be in them? 

My curiosity gets the better of me and I peak in to have a look...........

Sadly my language skills are not quite up to having an in-depth conversation with the local vendors about the boxes and their contents -  but from what we could tell the crickets are raised and sold for fighting.  The men in the markets  stack up the boxes and remove the lids and poke at the crickets - we figured they were trying to see how aggressive they were. 

This is definitely the domain of the male - we are the only women in the market and I wonder if they consider us bad luck?

 The crickets are sold at every stage of their lifecycle.  From larvae up to fully grown! 

Cricket pods - in each one is a living cricket 

Along with crickets the insect market  seems to sell every known species of animal.   We spot birds, dogs, cats, turtles, fish, reptiles even some chipmunks!  



 

Was so hard to leave this little fella behind! 

As a destination it is not for the feint hearted - the smells, the noise and the conditions the animals are kept in is really quite disturbing so we don't dwell too long - and I doubt we will ever return! 

Not far from the insect market we reach the Dongtai Rd Antique market 

Here the vendors sell everything old and Chinese - from Mao ceramic relics, well thumbed copies of Maos "little red book" , old toys, posters, calendars, furniture.......

Some of the furniture  - all very Retro and Art Deco - is stunning -  you could easily spend hours wandering in and out of the alleys and shops .

Bargaining here is fast and furious and is done inside the shops  lest the vendors neighbours learn how much he is willing to sell his wares for!  

As we wander home through the residential streets it is fast approaching evening and the food vendors are preparing for the evening trade.  

Food stalls pop up everywhere in Shanghai - the food markets are lively and colourful with an array or smells - some good - some not so good! 

Often the food looks tempting - but given the heat of the summer days and the dubious food handling practices it is rare for us to try the street food. 

However - the smell of this fried onion bread just got the better of me - so for 2rmb (40 cents)  - I took a gamble and bought some .........it was good and I lived to tell the tale!