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Chengdu City Guide ¨C Entertainment
Lantern Fairs Originated in 711 AD in the Tang Dynasty, the lantern fair originally lasted for only one day, on the 15th day of the lunar January; later, it gradually expanded to ten nights in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644); and then to one month in recent years. Lanterns of all sizes and colors flood the city and thus, create a dazzling scene of peace and prosperity, attracting tens of millions of visitors every year. The biggest lantern fair is located at the Qingyang Palace, a Taoist temple. Besides the lanterns, acrobats, jugglers, operas, and singing, games are staged here. All sorts of local snack food can also be found at the site of lantern fairs. Flower Fairs The local fairs started in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and originally lasted for one day ¨C the 15th day of the second month of the lunar calendar. That day was supposed to be the birthday of Lao Tsu, originator of Taoism, and also the birthday of ˇ°one hundred flowersˇ± according to local custom. Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet Lu You wrote that he ˇ°was almost tipsy with the scent of flowersˇ± during his stay in Chengdu and ˇ°the floral smells accompanied for 20 miles, right from Qingyang Palace to Du Fus Cottage.ˇ± The length of the festival expanded to one month or one and a half months in Chengdu every year. During the fair, flower companies and vendors converge in the open air, mostly outside Qingyang Palace, to hawk their fresh flowers, dry flowers, potted flowers and plants. This is also the occasion for local artisans of handicrafts and performing artists to show off their skills and make a lions share of their annual earnings. Starting from 1980, the local government added bird markets, calligraphy and painting shows, and book markets to the floral festival. Dragon Boat Race It is not clear when dragon boat races first started in Chengdu but the last such activity was held in Jingjing River near the River Viewing Pavilion in the late 1960s. After that, the downtown river sections were so silted that the dragon boat races had to be held in rivers outside of Chengdu, particularly in the Nanhe River in Xinjin County. The broad and slow-moving river allowed large-scale races to take place, raising the game to a higher level of splendor and noise. Sichuan Opera Sichuan Opera, one of the major regional operas in China, shares many similarities with Peking Opera in terms of costumes, masks and roles. The costumes are largely of the style prevalent during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), with minor features taken from previous and later dynasties. The Sichuan Opera also boasts of the unique trick of the actors changing their masks within seconds. In one opera, the female actor displayed her anger by turning her face from white to black to dark green to black, one color every few seconds. With the audience shrinking and largely confined to middle- and old- aged people, the several local troupes have had to cut their performances to once or twice a month. The most active Sichuan Opera performing venue is perhaps Jinjiang Theater on Hua Xing Zheng Street, which stages Sichuan Opera performances every Sunday afternoon. Dancing Ballet or other "serious" types of dances are rarely held in Chengdu. And if they are, mostly they are given in a banquet hall of the five-star Jinjiang Hotel. For ordinary Chengdu people, such art forms can only be enjoyed on television. Dancing halls are not many in Chengdu compared to the number of karaoke bars. Most hotels have ballrooms, but it is a place for the elite rich. Going to a dancing hall without a dancing partner is surely no fun and perhaps embarrassing because most likely you would have to dance alone when the music is on. Inviting a member of the opposite sex can invite angry refusal as most come as couples and they tend to be very possessive of each other. There are usually some heavily made-up young ladies in such places. But, they often try to chat you up for other purposes. If you are keen on dancing, leave the place as soon as they approach you. It is in those cheap and crude-looking places where you can dance your heart out because genuine dance lovers - usually average middle-class people - abound. The price is very affordable, usually RMB3-10 or slightly more. The downside thing is that these dancing places usually close at 9:30pm or 10:00 pm. For no fee at all, the best place to dance is in the big public places such as Tianfu Square or in front of some department stores. These dancing places, with a cassette recorder placed on the ground, are held routinely at dawn and dusk. Its mostly a crowd of middle-aged and retired people dancing there. Pubs Most of Chengdus pubs have a stage or area for the self-indulging arts of karaoke singing or social ballroom dancing. Drinks actually are given less importance. When visitors drop in, they are first greeted with ˇ°nin he dian shenme?ˇ± (What would you like to drink?), which is immediately followed by ˇ°nin dian shenme ge?ˇ± (What songs would you like to sing?) Such places usually appeal to young Chinese people, who employ drinks to mellow their voices to prepare for their star turn as a karaoke singer. It is not surprising that many singles' parties are usually held here. For more Western-style pubs, visitors can try areas around the Jinjiang Hotel, Minshan Hotel, Chengdu Hotel, or even the one-star Traffic Hotel. In the Traffic Hotel area, keep in mind such establishments: Noble Bowling (where bowling, rather than drinks, appeal to the Chinese), Newcastle Arms Pub (where one can try genuine Newcastle Brown Ale), and Jurassic Park (where newly affluent Chinese young kids jerk their heads and swing their arms in disco dancing). There is also a Japanese-style bar named Norwegian Forest across the street from Renmin Park. Although Norwegian in name, the drinks, cakes and even the boss are all Japanese. With many Japanese people converging here daily, many Japanese language learners are attracted to this place, forming a "Japanese corner" in the bar. |
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