Live and in action

A cruise ship along the Yangtze River is presenting a rare immersive show. Li Jing reports.

The moment a dock door opens, the audience begins to time-travel to the 1920s.

With music coming from afar, a long trestle leads up to a giant steamship, along which rickshaws and stands of street food are seen. A boy, coming up to passers-by, hands over old-fashioned papers printed with stories and information about a performance titled Zhiyin Cruise.

Opening to the public on May 19 in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, a rare immersive show on the Yangtze River has already sold out tickets for the month.

The name zhiyin, which refers to intimate friends in Chinese, comes from the legend of Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi, which is believed to have happened here in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

Yu, a well-known zither player, found that no one could really understand his music until he met Zhong along the Yangtze. The encounter then started a lasting friendship between them.

Just as Yu came across Zhong, "the show depicts tales of the encounter", says Fan Yue, the director, who has teamed up with Zhang Yimou on the Impression series of live shows.

On the cruise ship, there is no spectator stand.

"When the viewers get the tickets, they are passengers and they may dance and talk with the performers and are able to have access to any drama site," says Fan.

On the re-creation of an old wharf, where the viewers are waiting to board a ship, they find themselves brushing against those in traditional gowns or qipao. Some carry suitcases and some wave handkerchiefs to say goodbye.

Stepping into any room on the second deck, viewers can listen to stories told by performers who play the roles of passengers - a young man who left home to search for his lost younger brother, a hostess betrayed by her lover or a failed businessman from Wuhan.

Made up of three former cities of Hankou, Wuchang and Hanyang, Wuhan has been an important trading post since the 19th century, due to its strategic location at the confluence of the Hanjiang and Yangtze rivers.

"There are more than 10 stories. All the roles are set in 1920s Wuhan and many of the roles are based on true stories," says Li Shuyong, Wuhan publicity director.

Viewers can talk with these performers to find more about those stories. The director says he set just a theme for the stories, rather than fixed scripts.

"Like an app programmer, I designed a game, where all the people, including the audience, blend their personal experiences and feelings into it and make it a complete story," says Fan. "The show is different every day and the plot is extended through every person who takes it."

The stage of the show is not limited to the cabins. Almost everywhere on the ship, there is a stage - the pub, the coffee house, the stairway and corridor corners.

The cruise ship, a full-size replica of the original ship from the early 20th century, has four decks and 98 cabins.

On the third deck, viewers are ushered to their private rooms and will find a cabin decorated with old items, like folding fans, pocket watches and caps, and also a photo album featuring pictures of what life was like back then, including wedding pictures and marriage certificates from the 20th century.

The climax of the show comes as the cruise ship passes under the Second Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge - a moment when the modern encounters the old.

"I have been to the city several times but never had such strong feelings about it," says Huang Kan, a Beijing tourist. "The city's past featured in the show has made me know its culture and understand it better."

It took two years for the show's composition and rehearsal, including building the ship and a dock.

It's Fan's first solo work after the company, founded by him, Zhang and fellow director Wang Chaoge, became a fully-owned subsidiary of Sanxiang Impression Co in 2016.

One day after the debut show, the former shareholders, IDG Capital and Yunfeng Capital, signed a deal with Sanxiang Impression.

The cruise ship is also expected to sail to other cities along the Yangtze River, such as Chongqing and Shanghai, for live shows in the future.

Contact the writer at lijing2009@chinadaily.com.cn