2021 Urumqi Musical ‘The Appointment at Kunlun’ — Time, Location, Ticket Prices
Reservation phone for The Kunlun Pact: 181-3962-2229 Same as WeChat ID 0991-8585456
Tickets for The Appointment at Kunlun — Click to Book
First Act: The Appointment at Kunlun
The first act mainly tells the prosperity of the period of King Mu of Zhou and the reason for his determination to travel thousands of miles westward to fulfill the appointment at Kunlun. King Mu of Zhou, in order to fulfill the agreement between his ancestor the Yellow Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, embarked on a journey to Kunlun with a golden bell. During the performance, the huge palace backdrop combined with bronze musical instruments such as chime bells and stone chimes created the concept of ‘The Space of the King.’ On a tall wine goblet, four large characters flowed like wine: ‘This is China’ (宅兹中国), which is also the introduction and punchline of the entire play. Through a deep and powerful narration, combining classical Chinese with vernacular Chinese, the audience was quickly introduced to the story background and immersed in the plot.
The setup of chime bells and stone chimes was very flavorful. When the music of Shao (a type of ancient music) began, the lights focused on King Mu of Zhou in the hall. From the audience’s perspective, the entire palace and set were fully visible, creating a spectacular view. In the scene of all nations paying tribute, on the over 20,000 square meter stage, people portraying ancient tribes such as the Yue, Gui Fang, Quan Rong, Gu Zhu, and Xu Yi galloped in from the right side of the stage. As the narration echoed, quoting from ‘The Spring and Autumn Annals and the Zuo Zhuan Commentary’, ‘Having beautiful clothing and robes is called Hua; having grand rituals and ceremonies is called Xia,’ the audience could not help but feel proud to be Chinese.
Second Act: Dreams as Horses
The second act mainly tells the story of King Mu of Zhou and his companions, Zao Fu and Bo Yao, encountering a snowy mountain on their way to the Kunlun Mountains. Historical records state that the Son of Heaven’s diet was served on nine tripods, while ministers were served on five tripods, which was fully reflected in the props and meticulous details, showcasing a high-quality literary and artistic production.
Later, the scene in the play where the chef combines fish and mutton in cooking was also eye-catching. The line ‘Fish and mutton cooked together, delicious!’ may seem ordinary, but it actually has historical origins. It is said that Peng Zu, a legendary figure, had 54 sons, and one of his younger sons loved fish. Peng Zu was afraid he would indulge and repeatedly stopped him. To avoid Peng Zu, the son hid the fish inside mutton to cook, and unexpectedly, it was extremely delicious. After tasting it, Peng Zu approved and named it ‘Fish Hidden in Mutton,’ giving rise to the character for ‘delicious’ (鲜).
On the one hand, it increased everyone’s knowledge; on the other hand, it showcased the ancient Chinese food culture of the Western Zhou Dynasty from a different perspective. Every detail of this high-quality production has depth, and one must watch attentively to avoid missing any educational points.
Third Act: Promises as the Chariot
The third act mainly tells the story of how King Mu of Zhou and his party encountered the Women’s Kingdom on their way, and the soldiers were enchanted by the charm of the women. King Mu of Zhou awakened the soldiers’ determination to continue westward with the noble principle of ‘keeping one’s promise like gold’, which is a value passed down from the Yellow Emperor, his ancestor.
The beauty of dance is the highlight of the third act. In the play, the actors portraying soldiers and residents of the Women’s Kingdom danced gracefully in the center of the stage. The magnificent group dance, combined with exquisite costumes, vividly recreated the idyllic scenery along the route of the Western Tour of the Son of Heaven Zhou.
The actress portraying the leader of the Women’s Kingdom is Chen Yuting, a girl from Chongqing. With a background in Dance Studies (Education) from Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, she fully showcased the gentleness and liveliness of a young girl on stage.
The various expressions of the characters in the play rely on the perfect coordination of the dancers’ body movements and musical background. The only way is through continuous and meticulous practice to enhance the performance with stage beauty. "O, the coots are crying on the river’s isle; the modest, pretty maiden is a fit bride for the prince………", the girls of the Land of Women dance with joy and enthusiasm, wanting to keep the soldiers. The chief of the Land of Women says to Boyao, "idiot", which is humorous yet lively, contrasting with the righteous atmosphere of the entire plot. The characters on stage feel like flesh-and-blood people like me.
Fourth Act: The Heart as the Wheel
The fourth act mainly tells the story of King Mu of Zhou and his exhausted troops, with the fire god igniting a sea of flames to block their path, causing the horses to scatter and the wheels to become stuck. In the dangerous situation, King Mu of Zhou vows to cross the sea of flames, and the fierce fire god is also impressed.
Amidst the sea of flames, horses gallop wildly. A group of "little fire gods" dressed in red surround the Western Zhou caravan, flipping and flying around to block their western journey.
The actors’ continuous spinning movements resemble blazing fire-wheels. Stage effects爆发 with flames, and pre-placed fuel on the stage ignites, sending waves of heat and the smell of fireworks into the audience. The combination of reality and fantasy is fascinating.
The beauty of song is one of the highlights of the fourth act. In the two spaces, King Mu of Zhou and the Queen Mother of the West sing to the sky, with modern singing techniques interpreting the inner monologue of the thousand-year pact.
In terms of visual imagery, the fourth act focuses on displaying the jade of the Queen Mother of the West’s world to present a visual contrast with the gold associated with King Mu of Zhou, representing rigidity and softness, hardness and flexibility. On one side is the order and solemnity constructed by bronze; on the other side is the mystery and romance of the Western Regions composed of snowy mountains, rock walls, and heavenly lakes. This forms a stark contrast between the two spaces and emotionally blends them, providing a spatial foundation for the theme of the next act, "Harmony of Heaven and Earth with Resonant Sound of Metal and Jade".
Fifth Act: Harmony of Heaven and Earth
The fifth and final act of the play depicts King Mu of Zhou meeting the Queen Mother of the West atop Kunlun as the sun and moon intersect, fulfilling the Kunlun pact that spans a thousand years. As the highlight of the fifth act, the grand Shao music ceremony echoes with the Shao music display in the first act, but the scene is larger and more magnificent, marking the climax of the entire performance.
Shao music is the high-ranking court music of ancient China. According to "The Analects of Confucius – Analects of Confucius Himself", Confucius heard Shao music in Qi and for three months forgot the taste of meat. Referred to as "The First Movement of China", in the play, when the lights illuminate the entire venue, the palace symbolizing King Mu of Zhou’s space echoes with the snowy mountains of the Queen Mother of the West’s space. Horse-riding guards gallop towards the center of the stage from multiple directions, forming a loop. The scene is the largest and most magnificent in the whole play.
Based on historical records such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", "The Records of Emperor Mu of Zhou", and "Bamboo Annals", "The Kunlun Pact" presents through five acts the story of Emperor Zhou’s western tour, his trials and tribulations, and his fulfillment of the pact with the Queen Mother of the West at Kunlun. It fully showcases the long history of exchanges and integration between the mainland and border areas of China, depicting a magnificent poem of Chinese people helping and advancing together.
Reservation phone for The Kunlun Pact: 181-3962-2229 Same as WeChat ID 0991-8585456