YUN

Last night I went to the theatre and watched a Chines group 'YUN' who played traditional, ethnic and modern Chinese music. There was also singing and some really fabulous dance. This music group consisted of 4 Chinese women and one dutch man (percussionist). The women played all a different instrument such as the Gu zheng (Chinese local harp),

Erhu (Chinese knee violin)

and the Pipa (Chinese lute)

These women all achieved international succes with their instruments. The dancer even played in Chinese series and commercials.
The music was very peaceful and was played brilliantly. It was interesting to see the reaction of the Gu Zheng to the theat and light of the theatre, after every song the played they had to tune this instrument again. I loved the sound of all the instuments but I think the Erhu is so cool, it looks like a very strange instrument but the music of it...wow!!
The dancing part was very brilliant too, the woman studied in the famous He-Nan dancing academy. she was looking gorgeous, the clothing she weared was also perfect. Hmm again I know for sure...Chinese traditional clothing are the most beautiful in the world!
After the concert we could look at the instruments very closely..wow.... they were so fantastically made and beautiful to see!! Afterwards we were also congratulated with Chinese new year and got some great food, together with a fortune cookie hehe. I also bought their cd to rejoin the music.
The fun part was when we (i went with a friend) looked around us and noticed we were the youngest hehe, I think almost everyone were 30 to 40 years older than us hehe.

Again some great pictures

Those two days (tomorrow I will go to a Chinese concert) I don't have too much time to post something so I just put some beautiful pictures in this post.
I just think director 'Wong Kar Wai' has the perfect images in his films! Again I took some pictures of 'In the mood for love' and '2046'. Anybody that hasn't seen those movies yet....well run to a filmshop and get them as fast as you can.

It's just the use of colour in his movies, the choice of music, the casting and the brilliant camera-work. 2046 takes you away to a world that exist of pure beauty and the feeling of pure sadness. It's not easy to understand but give it a chance!!

Forever yours

Sometimes we want to sail away from our world and visit the beauty of nature.
Don't hold back but enjoy your adventure that starts in your own mind.
When you look at the great wide ocean,
maybe you will see those magical sea-green eyes,
the eyes of the mermaid that will be your guide.

She will guide you on your journey to unknown worlds,
she shows you the great forest where magic still exist,
where trees whisper old words that in our era long have been forgotten,
where the last unicorn longs for the pureness of a virgin.

Trust her! I tell you, don't be afraid,
Don't be afraid for what will happen,
just let her guide you to your deepest dreams.
Myself, I went to places beyond our imagination,
I went to the end of time and found what I already knew.

The mermaid let me to the center of my dreams,
I looked in her eyes again and realized they were familiar to me,
I looked in yours.
All magic, eternal beauty, everlasting love,
I already found it in my life.

I walk with you forever,
I will be forever yours.

Today I don't have much time so I will just post a few photo's of Zhang Ziyi. Hmm what can I say about it, I think they are very fashional and beautiful! I know there are a lot of people that don't like her really but I think she acts wonderful in movies like '2046, house of flying daggers and the road home'. The next movie of Zhang Ziyi will be 'Mulan', I've watched Mulan as a disney cartoon so I am very curious towards this film!

Zhou Yu's train

Maybe Zhou yu's train isn't the most famous Chinese movie and some critics will say it's a very cliché movie but I think it's is very beautiful. It's about the love of a poet and a woman (played by Gong Li) that works in a pottery factory. I read somewhere this entire movie looks like a poem and I agree totally.
Some interesting thing about this story is that there are many flashbacks, but sometimes these falshbacks aren't real flasbacks. The clue of this story can only be obtained when you watch it carefully and than in the end all pieces of the puzzle will come together. The story is told from the perspective of a person that looks like Zhou yu...but is it her? The most beautiful images are given when Zhou Yu is travelling by train to the city where her lover/poet lives. Such a beautifull journey it is..the beautiful landscape of China will grab you. I wish I could go there immediately!
The poet writes poems for her and writes about beautiful villages/lakes and compares it's beauty with hers. She is going to travel to these beautiful places but do they exist in real too?
Gong Li acts strongfully in this movie, she is very convincing when she breaks some of her pottery. You will have during this entire movie the feeling that it won't end good, but you still want to know what will happen.
The pictures of this movie are just so very beautiful and it's a perfect poetic movie. If you love to dream away in a painting of a beautiful landscape you will surely love this movie. Dream away in a poem and travel by train through beautiful memories. Maybe this is a metaphor to describe my feeling about it.

Hmmm this time I don't discuss a movie or anime, I just wanna talk about the beauty of Asian cinema. When I talk about the beauty of Asian cinema I regularly speak of Chinese movies. It's difficult to explain what is really different about these movies than western ones but the beauty of the movies is greater. I think many westerns don't understand Asian movies cause they tell the story in a complete different way. In westerns movies most stories start at the beginning and continue onwards, but in Asian movies this is not the fact. They just begin the movie, it can be in the middle of the story, and use many flashbacks to continue what they want to say. In the beginning i t seems very weird and you don't understand but in a while you will appreciate the beauty of those films. You have to use your imagination more in many Asian movies, not always is the plot of the story given.
For example the Korean movie 'The uninvited', it isn't easy to understand but it's just so very very perfect. This movie is an example of daring to put silence in your movie. In Hollywood there will be much music when something exciting happens but in Asian ones there just will be silent and it is sooo more exciting! Not only the music is different but also the beauty of the images! In Asian movies they seem to have so much beautiful backgrounds and surroundings, in American movies I don't know...cause you don't care. It's mostly action and story that matters. In Asian movies the esthetical is very important, you will be lost in movies like 2046 or the univited. But you only can enjoy it's great beauty by completely let yourself go and enjoy every moment of it! Hollywood does have it's brilliant movies too but some Asian movies are so brilliant, though difficult to understand, and beautiful that it's just unimaginable.