There was no waiting on this one! part 2

November 13, 2008

If you have not read part one, part two will make no sense. But do what you want, I merely suggest starting with part 1.

Act-II begins with an empty stage. The emperor and his fair lady stroll across the stage professing their love for each other. We can see in the empress’ eyes that she thirsts for more, she seeks the unknown, she seeks excitement and she seeks adventure. Her eyes drift from the emperor and land upon a handsome man walking among the water’s edge. “Who is this man?” she asks. Is he a scholar, a philosopher, a traveler, or a poet? He is an intellectual. He is an Artist. He is Zhan Zeduan! Oh! If only they could someday cross paths. Surely this man could show her the world!
Act-well this is interesting. The scene begins in the desert. Fifty or so dancers take the stage. They are dancers from all over the world. Russians, Palestinians, Arabians bring brilliants to the stage in their flashy traditional garb. Assyrians, Egyptians, and Zulu leap and twirl threw the air. The drums beat and the orchestra rages. Each group begins their solo and ethnically unique dance number and the finale is a group number. It is at this moment my suspicions arise. Where did these groups come from? Is this the empress’ dream? Did Zhan Zeduan travel the world? Are all these cultural groups visiting Bianjing? Lets wait for the next act. Maybe I’ll put it together.
Act-I’m not exactly sure what is going on. We are back in town! There is a lively market and street performers! The drum beats are heavy and the orchestra is vibrant. Oh Yeah! There isn’t any orchestra, it is all prerecorded. I thought a live orchestra would help give the experience a little extra zing! Sorry. Two children take the stage. A bullwhip snaps! And its time for an incredible traditional street performance! The boy is doing somersaults and the girl is folding her body into unacceptably contorted ways. A group of women twirly wheel string fling-a-ma-bobbers hit the stage in their brightly colored gowns. How exciting. WAIT JUST ONE MOMENT!!! What happened to the story about the scroll and the artist and the empress?
Act-Oh, here we are. The scroll, the artist, the emperor, and the empress are center stage. Zhan Zeduan hand the scroll over to the emperor. The emperor’s servants arrive stage right and inspect the scroll. They are five inseparable beings. Each wears a color representing one of the elements or the Olympic rings. It is hard to tell these days. The Olympics have penetrated every facet of Chinese culture and entertainment. They inspect and inspect and inspect. They role up the scroll and unroll it again and inspect, inspect, inspect. “Ah, what a wonderful piece,” they exclaim. The emperor agrees and belts out a verse describing the beauty of the scroll. The empress agrees and exclaims her love for the scroll. Ah, ha! I see what is happening here. The empress and the artist are going to hook up at any moment!
Act-I’m lost again. The lights are dim. The music is low. The curtains shimmer. I can see an enormous object drifting onto the stage. I can’t make it out. Oh… What is it!?! The curtain is transparent but not enough for me to make out the ominous silhouette now at center stage. Oh God! What it is it!?! The music once again rolls into crescendo! The anticipation is killing me! With a cymbal crash and a triumphant beat of the drum; the lights flash and the curtains rise! There! At center stage! Atop a massive Junk! The Great Zhan Zeduan! He is signing! He is signing about… Wait for it… Not his love for the beautiful empress, not his desire for knowledge… He is singing about the scroll. I’m scratching my head right now.
Act-I give up. We are back at the town square. Our triumphant Zhan Zeduan has returned from his boat trip. Not sure where the boat took him; maybe around the world, maybe to the south of China to avoid the invading Jurchans, or perhaps to the other side of the yellow river. Who knows? I'm currently researching this point. For now, all I know is that kids are doing somersaults and everyone in the cast is on stage dancing. The older woman from Act-I is back on stage and signing again. She tells us that Zhan Zeduan painted a magnificent and now famous scroll and that the emperor likes it, the town loves it, and the world is astonished by it. The End.
Really? That was it? Why all the street performances? Why the boat ride? Why the love affair? Why the elemental/Olympic servants? AAHHHH! What does this all mean!?!

I fear that at this point I will never be able to complete this blog entry. Everything I have discussed thus far is only the tip of the iceberg. I apologize for the lengthiness of this story but it is what it is and I look forward to writing about what happens next...

There was no waiting on this one! part 1

November 13, 2008

Never before have I been witness to an event such as the one I experienced on Thursday November 13^th 2008. And I have seen a lot of Sh*t! I dare not delay this blog entry for I do not want to forget a single detail nor miss any element. This may be an all-nighter! I fear that any description I can imagine, any words that I can create, or any statement I can manage to type into my computer will not do justice to the display of utterly confused showmanship which would mislead an audience to interpret such an incomplete message that was literally “Lost in Translation” and is somehow interpreted as, of what one would stretch to call… No, dare to call, art or perhaps even entertainment. Wow. And I say again… Wow. Give me a minute here. I am still trying to absorb that last long-winded statement I made. I have read it eight times now, and yes, it is exactly what I meant to say. However, I need yet another minute as my mind is still trying to process everything that has happened in the three hours prior.

The story begins with a simple invitation from a friend. “May I treat you to the opera tomorrow night?” she said. “I would love to,” I said. And so it began. Steve and Travis, “You missed out!” Marta and I met our friends outside of our gate and piled into a cab. The theater is just outside of the city’s west gate. It is a beautiful theater; its grandeur reminds me a little of Vegas. A bold face and towering pillars mark the entryway. As you enter, light shimmers from crystal chandeliers high above. The banisters of a sweeping grand staircase are woven with red ribbons. The center piece of the entrance hall is a masterfully carved wooden Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith commemorating the 2008 Beijing Olympics! This beautifully sculpted wooden artwork was created by a native Kaifeng wood craftsman whom Travis and Steve met not too long ago. Walking up the carpeted staircase I am unaware of the creature that hides behind the enormous hardwood doors ahead.

The girls check their bags and we make our way inside the opera hall. The seats are wonderfully cozy. The interior is much like the Goodman Theater, Chicago-a little bit smaller. The lights dim and the music slowly fades in. Characters appear on stage from the left and the right. The music continues to gain momentum and approaches crescendo as the performers scatter across the stage.

Let me pause with my description of the evening so that I may focus my audience’s attention on the word ethnocentrism! I know some of my students may be reading and it is important that they understand my understanding of their understanding of the cultural significance of the events of this evening as I attempt to understand it myself and help others to understand my understanding of the audiences’ understanding of the performances. If you are lost in this sentence, not to worry, that is a good start. Being lost is important for us to be able to appreciate ethnocentrism. Yes, appreciate. If we are never lost how could we learn to find our way? Let me share with you how I found my interpretation of ethnocentrism.

The dictionary will tell you that ethnocentrism is the belief of the superiority of one’s own ethnic group. Superiority, really? I think the dictionary made a typo; or is their a better word for its definition or perhaps a better definition? I think the dictionary definition of ethnocentrism is meant for the word ethnosuperioritism; patent pending. And no, ethnosuperioritism is not a fancy word for racism. Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capabilities and that these racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Ethnosuperioritism is the belief that ethnicity is the primary determinant of human behavior, customs, and language and that these ethnic differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular ethnic group. So, how is ethnocentrism different? Well, ethnocentrism simply doesn’t have the attitude of superiority within its definition. Bias, yes! Predisposition, absolutely! Superiority, I don’t think so!

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to interpret another ethnic groups’ behavior, ideology, and custom with the bias, predisposition, and filter of one’s own ethnicity. Now, the purpose of my blog is to describe the events I witness and share the interactions I experience. To enhance my definition of ethnocentrism I will continue my description of the event I witnessed on Thursday, November 13^th 2008 and the corresponding interactions of that evening. Let me remind my audience and myself that I am lost in my own ethnocentricity and as the introduction expressed; I am very confused and even overwhelmed. With that said, let me first say that while I may be lost, it is my opinion that the people in the audience whom I shared this experience with were possibly just as lost if not more so. The question I therefore pose is if they are just as confused about the events of the evening then why do they behave the way they do? O.K. enough jibber-jabber! Let’s get down to business!

An older women steps into the spotlight of center stage. Of course I don’t understand a word of the gentile voice that fills the concert hall. Fortunately my friends are here to help translate. I won’t spend time explaining the translations unless it is valuable to the story. From here on I will tell the story as if I understood the language but keep in mind that my descriptions come from a mix of my friends translations, my own incite, and the historical knowledge of myself, Marta, and Wikipedia.

The woman at center stage tells us the story of an ancient time; a time when Bianjing, now Kaifeng, was the capital and Chinese culture was flourishing. I compare it to the French Renaissance; this was a time for new beginnings, new artistic style, and the desire to record history prevailed. This was the period of time when the greatest literary project was compiled. This was the time period that Emperor Yingzong ordered the great Sima Guang to transcribe the universal history of China, the Zizhi Tongjian or “Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government.” This was the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

The scene is set as performers pull fruit and vegetable carts into position. In the background dancers are twirling about and tossing colorful ribbons to-and-fro. The stage lights swirl around and around adding to the magic and mystery of the performance. There is a man strolling from one end of the stage to the other. He is well dressed and has a steady gait. The character exudes authority and demands respect. He stops at the different shops to examine the merchandise. He appears to be wealthy but lacks an entourage so I do not believe he is of nobility. We see the man stop and look into the background and foreground and even into the audience. He is an intellectual… He is an Artist! He is the great calligrapher who created the Qingming Scroll, a brilliant visual representation of Kaifeng daily life. He is Zhang Zeduan!

Zhang Zeduan walks the streets of Kaifeng. He ponders life and love. He is gentry. He enjoys philosophy, painting, and poetry. Many of his stature enjoyed such activities. No doubt, he spent many a days in the Iron Pagoda Park; situated just a block from my apartment. With all this extra time on his hands it is no wonder that he was able to paint the beautiful Qingming Scroll and fall in love with the beautiful empress! Ah ha, now things are surely to become interesting…

This is the part were we realize that there is no way that I can complete this in a single entry, not to mention I am now in my second week of writing. With that said, I encourage you to check back for part 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and I'm just not sure how long this will take!