STATE leaders and their spouses in Hangzhou for the G20 Summit enjoyed a feast for the eyes Sunday night with a gala on the city’s much-storied West Lake.

    The 45-minute visual extravaganza, “Hangzhou is Most Memorable,” a title taken from a poem by ancient Chinese poet Bai Juyi (772-846), highlighted the city’s rich cultural legacy as well as incorporated international elements that subtly reflect the state of today’s globalization.

    The evening was billed as a symphony concert, using a musical idiom that director Zhang Yimou chose for its broadly international resonance. Traditional Chinese instruments wove in with the sounds of a standard orchestra in an East-meets-West marriage suggestive of exchanges in other areas.

    Dancers performed in the beautifully lit background in what looked like shallow water, and solo performances were on a floating platform.

    In such a setting, segments from the famous Russian ballet “Swan Lake,” which received instant applause when the first dancer appeared, gained a heightened realism thanks to ingenious lighting and projection.

    Clair de Lune never achieved a more shimmering effect than Sunday night as the reflections in the water brought out visual parallels with the Claude Debussy music.

    Classic Chinese pieces, “High Mountains and Flowing Waters,” “Spring River in the Flower Moon Night,” “Picking Tea Leaves” and the tale of “Butterfly Lovers” were staged.

    In an interview with China’s Central Television, director Zhang revealed that the “Swan Lake” show in the gala combines holographic images and real performers.

    “The technology was commonly used in indoor shows during recent years, while for outdoor performances, especially on the surface of water, in a purely natural scene, it was probably the first time it was used,” Zhang said. “It was more difficult than the opening ceremony of the Olympics.” Zhang masterminded the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

    “I chose a symphony, as it is elegant and refined, and more importantly, it is a universal language,” Zhang said. He thinks that the G20 summit is a “universal language,” a summit where the world has dialogues with each other and works towards progress together.

    Zhang said world famous music such as “Swan Lake,” Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” and classic Chinese music are all “universal language,” and they express emotions and forces that can be understood by all humans.

    To conduct a symphony concert on a natural lake is unprecedented. Liu Fuyang, the head of the dance troupe, was baffled by his most familiar dance, as he had to complete the dance “The Butterfly Lovers” with his partner 3cm below the water’s surface. “Dancing in the water, you will encounter resistance, and the costume will get wet, which creates challenges for the dancer’s skills.” (SD-Agencies)