A night at the Opera
Last night Harmony called with a last minute invite to an Opera.
When we first arrived, many of the seats were filled with young soldiers. I thought a row of green uniforms in red seats would make a neat picture. After we found our seats, I had gathered up enough courage to go snap that photo. As I set forth, I could feel Josh sink down into his seat for fear of any association with me and my camera.
I expected they would all bunch together laughing, delighted and amused to have their picture taken.
I held up my camera and asked "ok?". There were no objections but they weren't showing the sprightliness I had anticipated so I assumed they may have been confused--'does she want us to take a picture of her?'. To clarify, I raised the camera to my eye, certain that they would now understand and begin smiling and laughing. But then suddenly, there was a man (a more senior soldier--maybe a general) by my side saying "No! Sorry, sorry, no!". My face went bright red. I quickly apologized and turned to leave. Then I slumped down in my chair and stared at nothing while I re-played 'the incident' in my mind. Looking back I dont know why I was so dumbfounded and emabarassed; I suddenly felt like an ignorant intruder.
You can see the man in charge coming towards me and the soldiers look uncomfortable.
As for the Opera, it was hard to follow. Not only for us, but even for those who understand Chinese. I couldn't help but thinking it might sound more pleasant if the microphones were near the singers instead of clipped onto their costumes. In fact, I am not sure microphones were even necessary. The funny thing about it being so loud was that the audience felt it was acceptable to talk and answer cell phones through the whole performance. We were no exception; Harmony was whispering the storyline to me every few minutes and I was advised Josh of upcoming words. "Psst. That guy is gonna say "shi bu shi" any second now." I could follow the dialogue through the text in the program based on the four Chinese characters that I know combined with the electronic display of the words that appeared when someone was singing. Not that the Opera wasn't entertaining enough on its own...It was about a man who quit his "iron rice bowl" job with the government to seek a cure for his friend's paralysis. He became sick from testing his own concoctions and the family was now destitute from him being out of work and spending money on his laboratory. In the next act he becomes rich and famous from making medicine and is faced with a telling business decision where they honest path may cost him millions of yuan. He deliberates while singing in the rain, makes the decision we all want him to and by the end of the Opera, he has an even better government job and the family couldn't be happier.
He has become sick from drinking his medicine and his wife sings a loud song of sorrow.
At this point an American (in brown and yellow) enters and offers a lucrative business deal involving Western medicine. Our hero rejects the American man and sings a song about how Chinese medicine is slow but its effective, whereas Western medicine works quickly but the results are not lasting.
When we first arrived, many of the seats were filled with young soldiers. I thought a row of green uniforms in red seats would make a neat picture. After we found our seats, I had gathered up enough courage to go snap that photo. As I set forth, I could feel Josh sink down into his seat for fear of any association with me and my camera.
I expected they would all bunch together laughing, delighted and amused to have their picture taken.
I held up my camera and asked "ok?". There were no objections but they weren't showing the sprightliness I had anticipated so I assumed they may have been confused--'does she want us to take a picture of her?'. To clarify, I raised the camera to my eye, certain that they would now understand and begin smiling and laughing. But then suddenly, there was a man (a more senior soldier--maybe a general) by my side saying "No! Sorry, sorry, no!". My face went bright red. I quickly apologized and turned to leave. Then I slumped down in my chair and stared at nothing while I re-played 'the incident' in my mind. Looking back I dont know why I was so dumbfounded and emabarassed; I suddenly felt like an ignorant intruder.
You can see the man in charge coming towards me and the soldiers look uncomfortable.
As for the Opera, it was hard to follow. Not only for us, but even for those who understand Chinese. I couldn't help but thinking it might sound more pleasant if the microphones were near the singers instead of clipped onto their costumes. In fact, I am not sure microphones were even necessary. The funny thing about it being so loud was that the audience felt it was acceptable to talk and answer cell phones through the whole performance. We were no exception; Harmony was whispering the storyline to me every few minutes and I was advised Josh of upcoming words. "Psst. That guy is gonna say "shi bu shi" any second now." I could follow the dialogue through the text in the program based on the four Chinese characters that I know combined with the electronic display of the words that appeared when someone was singing. Not that the Opera wasn't entertaining enough on its own...It was about a man who quit his "iron rice bowl" job with the government to seek a cure for his friend's paralysis. He became sick from testing his own concoctions and the family was now destitute from him being out of work and spending money on his laboratory. In the next act he becomes rich and famous from making medicine and is faced with a telling business decision where they honest path may cost him millions of yuan. He deliberates while singing in the rain, makes the decision we all want him to and by the end of the Opera, he has an even better government job and the family couldn't be happier.
He has become sick from drinking his medicine and his wife sings a loud song of sorrow.
At this point an American (in brown and yellow) enters and offers a lucrative business deal involving Western medicine. Our hero rejects the American man and sings a song about how Chinese medicine is slow but its effective, whereas Western medicine works quickly but the results are not lasting.
posted by B | 4:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home