SHANGHAI CENTER THEATRE: ACROBATIC SHOW

We had a wonderful dinner at this restaurant which served great Shanghainese food.

Soon after we arrived at Shanghai Centre that offers everything under one roof with a variety of venues - the auditorium, a stunning four-storey open space Atrium, the beautiful garden terrace and the five-star The Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel.



Then we hurried off directly to Shanghai Center Theatre, a luxurious, modern and well-equipped 1,000 seat auditorium. We waited outside the huge lobby while waiting for our tour guide to comeback for our tickets.



A few minutes later, we went inside and we seated left side row and pretty near to the stage. Before the show started we were told that taking any photos with flash were not allowed.



Some of the acrobatic acts were the plate spinning, balancing glasses, juggling, cycling, tumbling, clowns and magic. Plus the vibrant music and fantastic special effects made the show more incredible.



And these two aerialists really grabbed my attention. I would say they are extremely, outrageously talented. The beauty, grace and strength in one incredible act of Acrobatic artistic ability were breathtaking and amazing. Plus the romantic story heightened the dramatic effect. For me, these two really made the show unforgettable. I was practically awestruck!



There was also another scene showing a unique blend of skills and comedy. The magician and his assistant revealed us their precious little comic relief through the knife "throwing technique". The two entertainers were super hilarious. And later on, they asked for a volunteer from the audience. After a few minutes of searching, a Caucasian guy was chosen to be their "knife target". Of course the audience was anticipating what would happen next. It's really hard to tell you in details what happened. hahaha... But it was all an illusory and deceptive trick. Everything was all for entertainment and fun. It had me practically rolling on the floor in laughter. Man, I wont forget this.

Overall, the crowd was responsive to the performers during the show. It was really great. I super loved it. Highly recommended.


Shows are held most nights at 7:30pm with some seasonal variation.


Address:
Shanghai Center Theatre
No. 1376 Nanjing Road (W), Shanghai, China
Tel (+86 21) 6279 8663 (Ticket Puchase or Information on Performances)

PART IX: The Red Theatre Kung Fu Show

I'm a woman but Kung Fu, Karate or Martial Arts is definitely my favorite movie theme ever since my childhood days. I don't know why, but this is one that most fascinates me. I just love it! Those forms in which sharp blows and kicks are applied makes me thrilled. That's the reason why I like also watching Mixed Martial Arts like Pride FC, UFC and K-1. Well of course, I can't hide the fact that I was also influenced by my husband watching these shows. And I've to admit that I became a big fan of Fedor Emelianenko, Vanderlie Silva and Mirko Crocop. These guys are modest in behavior & great fighters. I was a Bruce Lee fan, too. I watched most of his movies during my younger days. He was considered the greatest icon of martial arts cinema during his days. But unfortunately, he died too young. I'm an admirer of Jet Li as well. He's small but highly skilled in Kung Fu and moves very fast.

Oooops... what am I thinking? hehehe... Ok, ok let's go to the RED THEATRE. This show was included in the tour package. Tickets were provided by our tour guide. We came a bit late. The theatre was already jam packed with people. (big sigh) We got our seats on the second floor back row. Waaaah...

The title of the show was CHUN YI: THE LEGEND OF KUNG FU. It is a martial arts dance performed by young men and boys. The story is divided into seven parts / scenes. It's about Chun Yi, a little boy, who entered the temple and after many years of hard training through practicing Kung Fu and Zen, he becomes a master. He was tempted but suffered a great remorse. And finally reaches the sacred goal of enlightenment.

Even though there were off-moments, the show was still good. It featured lots of vigorous style, kung fu fighting, tumbling moves and scintillating display of swordplay battles. There was a scene, where these young men grabbed some metal rod and smashed it on top of their head. (whew!!!) Indeed, these performers showed great routine and fantastic Kung Fu display.

(These pictures were taken from the brochure)

Pictures and videos are not allowed during the performance. But the fact, that most of the viewers were using their own digital and video cameras while the performance was going on, we had been tempted to take pictures, too. Well, we took two shots only. I took this picture during the curtain call.

After the show was over, the cast comes out and lined up in the lobby. The audience can take photos with them. And that's what we did. We merged into the crowd that had gathered in eagerness to have pictures with the performers. Unfortunately, we didn't know that picture taking had a "5 to 10-minute" time limit only. But nonetheless, we still had the chance to interact with them, and here we are...

These are my nephews whom I sent in China to study Kung Fu. just kidding

Look at my hubby playing around and trying to be a Kung Fu expert himself. mwehehehe...

THE RED THEATRE
44 Xing Fu Da Jie,
Chongwen District,
Beijing, China
(Across Tiantan Hotel)
SHOWS: Every evening at 7:30 PM