Chinese New Year Spectacular Captures the Story of Yue Fei on Stage

NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular playing at NYC Radio City Music Hall from Feb. 14-17 brings a unique opportunity to experience the magic of traditional Chinese culture. Through theatre, music and dance, weaving tales of the proverbial battle between good and evil, the show has something for everyone.

This year’s production will feature Yue Fei’s legendary story in all its glory and drama What’s so special about Yue Fei? For one thing, Yue Fei (pronounced “yu-eh fay”) was a well known and respected hero of the Song Dynasty who mastered both the pen and the sword as it were. According to one of his first biographers, he was a man who “mastered both polite letters and martial arts, and was possessed of both benevolence and wisdom.”

Yue Fei’s heart of heroism and military prowess is the more obvious of the two. In his most celebrated battlefield feat, Yue Fei defeated a 100,000-man army of Jin Wuzhu with merely five hundred or so soldiers of his own. Most defining were Yue Fei’s courageous efforts to stem the tide of northern invaders who attacked his beloved (Song) dynasty.

His cause eventually cost him his life when he became the victim of schemes by the treacherous official Qin Hui. Until just a few years ago, it was the custom in China for people to openly spit on a statue of Qin Hui in Hangzhou.

But there was a softer side to Yue Fei for he was also a man of letters who churned out one of the most memorable poems in Chinese history, “Red Fills the River.” To this day Chinese can be found reciting the piece.

Yue Fei’s humanity also came across in military affairs. On one occasion he disobeyed orders from Gao Zong, an important emperor, who gave an order to massacre a city and its many inhabitants. Legend has it that it was humble peasants who erected the famed ancestral mausoleum that honors Yue Fei.

And this is just one example of what the Spectacular has to offer. Imagine world-class vocalists and instrumentalists, beautiful dances and roaring drums, coupled with magnificent backdrops, splendid costumes--altogether making for an outstanding entertainment full of myths and legends.

“It’s like a little parcel of heaven on earth”, said one of my relatives who saw the show in Canada. “You can see and feel the beauty and virtue in each carefully placed step of the Lotus Arts Troupe dancers. You can hear it in the deep, heartfelt playing of the Erhu. And you can feel it in each act—that intangible ingredient that makes the difference between the ordinary and the magical realms.”

Indeed, the NTDTV Spectacular runs deep—true to the profound--espousing 5,000 years of Chinese culture. The Spectacular not only inspires but nurtures its audience. Unlike in China, under communist rule, today much of the arts is without substance--like a plastic veneer, playing to the fancy of the passing tourist.

I would encourage you to go to the Spectacular and treat yourself to a unique experience. Between January and March the 2007 NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular tours Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and major cities in Canada, Europe and Asia.