Foreign guests take helter-skelter tour of Wuxi

The weather was not kind to the poly international gathering, and rain thundered down upon a kaleidoscope of umbrellas as it stepped off buses throughout the day. The first stop was Huishan Old Town, all the more beautiful in the glistening showers, and then moved onto Zhao Hongyu's Studio where the group was taught the finer details of local embroidery by a coterie of young talent women.

With its perfectly uneven streets and photogenic black and white buildings the visitors did not hold back from taking many a selfie and Bas Gerrardus Maria, a Netherlands native, was drawn to the pleasing sightlines created by Jiangnan, south of the Yangtze river, architecture. Similarly, Edmund, a Ghanaian student in Nanjing, found the omnipresent naturalism to be a pleasing anecdote to bustling city streets.

And yet, what trip to Wuxi would be complete without dabbing the taste buds with saccharine pork ribs? Lunch at China Opera Wharf proved to be one of the highlights of the two day order and not simply because of the array of dishes that arrived at the table including cold succulent duck, tender braised beef, and deep fried white fish…but because a spectacular, genre defying, emotion stirring series of artistic performance was enjoyed through the chomping and the chewing.

An American couple seated at one table gasps as the lights dim and pounding music begins. Classic erhu. Chinese folk melodies. French house. Dubstep. What follows is an orgy oozing with performative excellence; dances both modern and traditional following in the styles of Wuxi and Suzhou arrive in a blur of color, light, and music.

The table directly in front of the stage is a series of halos; cell phones recording the action for future memories. One Indonesian student slurps his soup and seems impressed. Waiters keep the audience topped up with soda and wine. A government official smiles and quietly mentions it's a treat for him to see this type of performance while flicking minute fish bones from mouth to tablecloth.

One of the highlights of the weekend tour through the Jiangsu province city of Wuxi is the performances staged at China Opera Wharf and the opportunity grants a handful of daring foreigners to take to the stage themselves.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]