Traditional Medicine and Opera

Morris receives a check-up from our lecturer, a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Stuffed animals were part of the exhibits in the Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Beijing School of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

 

Herbs that are used for remedies were also on display.

 

We attended a performance of "Journey to the West" by the Peking Opera. As a dance photographer, I loved shooting it. A synopsis of the novel the opera is based on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West Here, the audience is introduced to the main characters. From Zhu Bajie, Sha Wuking, Xuanzang, and Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

 

The antagonist, transformed, tries to trick Zhu Bajie,..
But is called out by the Monkey King.

 

The songs' texts were translated for the foreign tourists to understand.

 

The antagonist, Bai Gu Jing, the White Bone Demoness.

 

Another of the Bai Gu Jing's appearances as an old man.

 

Bai Gu Jing has finally captured Xuanzang

 

In the court of Bai Gu Jing

 

The Monkey King and Bai Gu Jing fight when the Monkey King comes to rescue Xuanzang.

 

Zhu Bajie is distracted by Bai Gu Jing's female ghoul minions.

 

The Monkey King fights another minion

 

The entire fight scene lasted over fifteen minutes and included acrobatics and impressive choreographed combat.

 

Finally, the Monkey King is victorious!

This performance, aimed at tourists, had many Westernized aspects such as an opening, non-traditional dance scene, a mini-kickline, and masks that could have been worn at Halloween. It was surprising to see how they changed it to appeal more to tourists and first-time opera goers. Modifying Chinese traditions to attract and appeal to tourists seems to be very common, and this is just one   of many examples.