A Hike at Chawangqi Shan Mountain

I looked at the map briefly and noticed that there are two hills in the vicinity of the Mello Hotel, namely Chawangqi Shan and Hutou Shan (Tiger Head Hill). They are of medium heights, and I thought it was suitable for a short hiking session.

At first, I thought I could get there very quickly from Mello Hotel. Then, the one hiker that uploaded relevant information on Gaode map said that the actual path lies some 40 minutes away by walk. When I went behind the Mello to find the entrance and failed to find it, I figured I must walk 40 minutes to the proper entrance as shown by the Gaode hiker.

That I did do, and it was all good until I went on a wrong path at about the 15-minute point into the hilly area. The problem with hiking is that, sometimes when you are on a wrong ascending path, it is too dangerous to make the descent to find the right way. That was the scenario before me. I figured that I was on the correct general direction, and so I pushed on even knowing that it was the wrong path.

There were a few dangerous moments where I could have gotten hurt. My greatest fear was having to call for rescue, as that would be an incredibly stupid thing for an experienced hiker. Somehow, I pushed on and did end up on a proper hiking path. I then followed the hiking ribbons all along the way.

The View at Chawangqi Shan

In Chinese, Chawangqi means “planting a viewing flag.” There is a reason why it is named as such. During the Japanese invasion of the 20^th century, the Dongshan villagers took turns to watch out for ambush by the Japanese forces at this hill. If Japanese fleets approached, they raised a red flag on this hill, and everybody on the ground would be notified. It is perhaps no surprise that, at its highest point, the hill comes with significant rock formations that enable 360 views of the ocean and the surrounding facilities.

Photos above: A panoramic view at Chawangqi Shan Mountain, looking east.

Looking west, an urban view shows the extent to which the eastern shore is also developed. Looking east, views of ocean facilities come into sight. Rows of circles appear to be sea fish ponds. Beautiful yachts, which were quite distinct from the rundown junks at the Dongshan Pier, show the sophistication of which Shenzhen is capable. The Qixingwan (Seven Star Bay) Yacht Club is namely the most popular yacht club setting for wedding photos.

The view was truly fantastic as the sky opened up with generous sunlight. I soaked in all that wholesomeness before me, but knowing full well that the descent from Chawangqi Shan would be tough. It was indeed so. After a rather rigorous descent, I came across a crossroads.

If I headed straight, I would take the ascent up the Tiger Head Hill. If I turned left, I would be heading to the area of Mello (so there was indeed a path behind Mello), and if I turned right, I would be heading to the Yacht Club direction. I chose the path on the right. As soon as I arrived in civilization, I called a car to take me to YUN hotel to meet my friend.

I do not recommend this hike to any tourist at all, although I did come out unhurt. My arms were all scratched up by the dense spiky plants along the way. I don’t know how many times I had to stick my heads through spiderwebs.

The YUN Hotel

When my friend and I both arrived at the YUN hotel, we noticed the remarkable difference between a proper hotel establishment and the guesthouse type of accommodation. The scale of the hotel spoke for itself. The most significant feature at the YUN Hotel is the yacht area. It provides some touristy features, such as a floating train track and a small waterfront area that is dedicated to boating activities.

At first glance that generated some interest. The original plan of the day was to find something to do before we would sit down for dinner by the sunset. The activities at the YUN hotel could be a good option. However, we learned that the YUN Hotel’s only restaurant did not offer dim sum, so we headed out to the western shore of Nanao for lunch.

As night descended, we prepared ourselves for the highlight of our Yangshuo visit. In that evening, the temperature in Yangshuo dropped to 10 degrees Celsius. My family bundled up for the famous Impression • Sanjie Liu landscape theatre show.

Impression • Sanjie Liu was directed by the most famous Chinese director, Zhang Yimou. Although it was low season for tourism, we found ourselves in the company of hundreds and hundreds of people that bought tickets to the show. Certainly, it was a full house that evening. The performance venue was itself a sight to behold, featuring classic Chinese gardens with wooden pagodas and architecture.

The idea of a dance and song performance being set against a grand natural landscape is not new in China. It is really a creative idea that draws upon the natural endowment of a rural town as the stage to present a local narrative. Other Impression shows of Zhang Yimou, numbering 8 in total, include the Impression • Lijiang in Yunnan and the Impression • West Lake in Hangzhou.

Suffice to say, that Impression • Sanjie Liu was the very first such show in China. The original performance in 2004 was a project 5 years in the making. Set against the karst peak-environed Lijiang River at night, the show made an enormous impact that rippled through the fields of arts, performance and business in China at its debut in Guilin City. Impression • Sanjie Liu was once run by a company with investments from some very well-known persons. The operating company went bankrupt in 2018 due to the misappropriation of funds. But the show has managed to go on.

The Legend of Liu Sanjie

The Legend of Liu Sanjie may be traced to a number of historical scrolls. In Guangdong Xinyu, of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, it is said that Liu Sanjie lived in the times of the Tang dynasty. It seems to suggest that Liu Sanjie was a person of Han ethnicity, who was famous for being a virtuoso singer. She had the ability to turn any kind of situation into tunes with witty lyrics and perfectly adapted to the occasion, be they the mountain folksongs of ethnic minorities, which have established rhythms and formats, or the love songs that were the “pop equivalent” of those times. She was so good that the people thought of her as “the singing immortal.” Indeed, legend has it that she fell in love with a similarly virtuoso male singer, and they ascended the heavens together.

Different variations of the legend have appeared in the ethnic minority communities and passed on through generations. Since we were in Yangshuo, the local rendition of the Liu Sanjie legend has it that she was a Zhuang minority woman. The legend of Liu Sanjie in the Zhuang minority naturally involved the custom of “mountain singing duo.” The idea is enchanting and romantic: a female voice and a male voice echoing each other amidst the rolling ridges, the evocative melodies of mountain singing reaching the depths of the valleys. In fact, that was the singing performance that we saw when we had the rafting tour on Yulong River.

The story of Liu Sanjie as a Zhuang minority woman has the dramatic element of love prevailing over evil. Liu Sanjie is a beautiful singer. She has feelings for a handsome young man in the village, who is also a great singer. The villain in the village has an eye on Liu Sanjie, and he goes out of his way to stop Liu Sanjie from a happy union.

In some online sources, the story ends in the tragedy of the lovers committing suicide by a river, or otherwise Liu Sanjie jumping off the cliff as the evil villains close in on her. I am very sure, however, that the Impression • Sanjie Liu show concludes with the lovers prevailing against all odds and living happily ever after.

In essence, the Impression • Sanjie Liu show draws upon the art of mountain singing, an age-old custom of the ethnic minorities in China, as the motif. The creators augment the experience by introducing group dancing and singing and using technology for theatrical effects. The modern elements of the show are the retelling of a narrative that is woven in songs and dance, somewhere in between a western styled opera or a musical.

The legend of Liu Sanjie is retold in various art and cultural forms in China, including films, TV series, cultural festivals and compilations of Liu Sanjie’s folksongs. Whether Liu Sanjie was a real person or not, the trove of creative work that was inspired by her persona has become part and parcel of China’s intangible heritage, and the Guangxi Province certainly claims it as its own.

Some Thoughts on the Impression • Sanjie Liu Show

This was the first Impression show of Zhang Yimou that I saw. I had a few expectations. I wanted to see the typical Zhang Yimou forte of leveraging the visual power of group performances. I also expected fantastic lighting effects. Being a Hong Kong Chinese, I did not think I would be able to understand the songs and the storyline from the show, especially that it is performed outdoors.

As the show progressed, I came to see how it met all my expectations.  The show delivered amply on the visuals. The lighting effects came from a variety of sources. All kinds of lights were used, from the large floodlights in the background to the mini-LED-lit costumes of the actors. The fire-lit segments of the show created spurts of theatrics.

Well-orchestrated groups of actors acted in perfect coordination, an aspect of performing arts for which China is renowned. From the vantage of the audience stand, the engagement of group actors brings forth the intentional fusion of the landscape as the stage for a reimagined narrative of a local legend. I did not know how the narrative proceeded, but in each scene a wide variety of stage arrangements shows the meticulous effort to induce awe. The actors moved across the stage, which is a pretty big lake, by means of running, dancing and boating.

Online descriptions of the show say that Impression • Sanjie Liu engages 600 trained actors in the performance, and features the costumes and mountain songs of a few ethnic minorities in the Guangxi Province, including the Dong, Miao, Yao and Zhuang minorities.

Sources

The Wikipedia on Liu Sanjie (Chin).

Baidu baike on Liu Sanjie (Chin).

Baidu baike on Impression Liu Sanjie (Chin).