简介:LyingontheeasternsideoftheYellowRiver,totherightoftheTaihangMountains,theancientShanxiwasamajorbirthplaceofthevenerableChinesecivilizationandacornucopiaoffolkarts.Withanabundanceofmusicalandoperaticresources,Shanxienjoyedawidevarietyofoperaticgenresandconsequentlyhadaplethoraofstages.Sincetimeimmemorial,thesestageshadremainedthespiritualhome-whichwasunforgeflableandcouldnotbedispensedwith-oftheordinarypeople.Sincethereappearedoperasfromantiquity,sothesestagesareasoldastheoperas,Shaxi'sancientstagesweredottedeverywhere,withmostofthemerectinginvariablyadjacenttotemples.Thisphenomenonisindeedthought-provoking.Havingwitnessedvicissitudeofthetimesandwithstoodhundredsofyearsofexposuretotheelements,thesestagesstandmoreorlessintact,buttheyhavelostmuchoftheiroriginalglory-justlikeaoldman,wirilybuiltbutwithaweather-beatenface.Lookingatthem,oneseemstobetime-capsuledbacktothosesubmergedyears,theoldoperaticmusicresonatingvaguelyaroundthestages.