Spectacular brings Fisher Maiden's romance to life

Legendary lovers are celebrated in a dazzling interpretation of the Fisher Maiden story, which debuted at New Yuanming Palace on Feb 4 and runs through the Spring Festival holiday.

The one-hour show, Impression Zhuhai·Millennial Iron Sprit, features a cast of 200. They perform daily at 9 pm in Lanpu off Jiuzhou Avenue in northern Gongbei. New Yuanming Palace is a replica of the Beijing Old Summer Palace and a popular tourist destination.

The performances blend culture with romance in staging Zhuhai's ancient Xianshui (Saltwater) Songs of Nanping-Doumen fishing villagers to bless newlyweds, a large-scale performance of Doumen's cultural-heritage On-Water Wedding folk custom, and New-Year celebration standard Datiehua (spraying sparkling iron) fireworks simulation from North China's Hebei, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces.

Sparkling iron fragments in the night sky [Photo by Zhu Xi / Zhuhai Daily]

With the Big Shilin Hill and Longquan Lake as a backdrop, the story follows sweethearts, in this version named A'hai and A'zhu, through significant periods of their lives and conflicts with a fox demon. There are four scenes: Fishing Village Ways, Crisis, Revenge, and Polishing the Pearl.

The show depicts the waterside lifestyle of Lingnan (Cantonese-style) culture. A'hai and A'zhu's wedding ceremony brings to life the century-old Xianshui Song and tradition of On-Water Weddings. Meanwhile, the integration of modern acoustics, lighting, electrical, and 3D water curtain technologies further enhances the experience.

The heart-stirring Burning Incense Burner scene is when a dozen plates of iron are rendered into glowing fragments reaching temperatures of up to 1,600° C (2,912° F) and craftsmen produce a magnificent seven-minute shower of sparks that seem almost like fireworks.