"Impression Dahongpao" - Zhang Yimou

"Impression Dahongpao" - Zhang Yimou  (印像大紅袍 - 張藝謀)
Zhang Yimou, the renowned Chinese filmmaker, is much less known for his creation of the "Impression" series, the world's first outdoor musical performances set in China's most beautiful tourist destinations.

"Impression Dahongpao", the fifth project in the series, previewed Sunday in the Wuyi Mountains in southeastern China's Fujian Province, where Dahongpao – the finest Chinese oolong tea grows.

Elements of traditional stone and woodcarvings, residential housing, and the architectural style of Wuyi Mountain have been combined in the stage design.

The show, set in a tea park, projects the appearance of a giant teahouse, with waitresses dressed in traditional folk costumes serving Dahongpao, or Red Robe Tea(BOHEA tea:Lapsang Sauchong black tea), a Wuyi Mountain specialty with the reputation as China's "tea king".

Wang Chaoge, one of the general directors, said, "Tea is the essential aspect of the spectacle. What we are willing to tell people is that the quality of tea and the way we drink it is not important at all. What it matters is the mood we have when we drink. If you have the appropriate feeling, you are able to enter the space of zen and dispel the hustle and bustle urban life. Through the performance, we ask people to pursue peace and enjoy life."
The idea is split into five chapters, and most of the performers are Wuyi Mountain locals.
Zhang Yimou launched his Impression series with "Impression Sister Liu" in 2003, which is still running

 Do you know "美国独立战争((American War of Independence)与波士顿茶叶事件(Boston Tea Party)" and "第一次鸦片战争(First Sino-British Opium War) ".This is the one on "impression dahongpao" the story of.

"Last Night 3 Cargoes of Bohea Tea were emptied into the Sea. This Morning a Man of War sails.
"This is the most magnificent Movement of all.
"There is a Dignity, a Majesty, a Sublimity, in this last Effort of the Patriots, that I greatly admire."
--John Adams, Diary 19, entry for 17 December 1773

In modern times tea became popular between the east and west. The 1800s saw England becoming addicted to Wuyi tea(bohea tea). Tea and Opium smugglers were the head of trade. The opium war from 1839-1842 was between England and China, and China had to sign a free treaty. Soon, however, England would create tea production in India, and China became less popul

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The fifth installment of renowned director Zhang Yimou's "Impression" series, the spectacle of "Impression Dahongpao" was debuted recently at Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province. The show, which is scheduled to officially open on March 2nd, highlights the splendid scenery of Wuyi Mountain and its rich tea culture.

"Impression Dahongpao's" stage covers nearly one hectare. With a budget of 200 million Yuan(RMB), or more than 29 million US dollars, the 70-minute show boasts a 360-degree angle setting and seating capacity of two thousand.

The 70-minute live show, co-directed by Zhang Yimou, Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue, uses the natural landscape as the background and incarnates local folk tales, tea culture and town life.

"I'm not exaggerating - this is the largest movie theatre in the world," said Wang Chaoge.

The open-air theatre features the world's first 360-degree rotating auditorium and 15 projection screens.

As the story moves on, the auditorium turns and the scene naturally changes, as if undergoing a journey through time and space.

"We put multimedia techniques in nature and make people think about the relation of humans and nature. It's a revolutionary performance," said Fan Yue, another co-director.

"3D is a great revolution of Hollywood, but it is still illusionary. Ours is a live movie," said Wang Chaoge. "Impression Dahongpao" is slated to premiere on March 2, and the sixth project of the series, "Impression Putuo", is now in production.

"We have done about one third of Impression Putuo. It is expected to open to the public by year's end," said Wang. "Impression Putuo" will probe the relationship between Buddhism and human nature as the Putuo Mountain is one of the four Holy Buddhist Mountains in China.

The team has also received invitations from more than 60 other Chinese cities to make their own "Impression" shows, but Wang said not all the locations are good for such productions.
"We have to find the lucky places," said Wang.