<p class="ql-block"><b style="color:rgb(21, 100, 250); font-size:15px;"><i>把英文用在你的生活中，来，像我一样，用英文来描述自己的日常生活。</i></b></p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="font-size:15px;"><i>《云南映象》孔雀舞 — 30 seconds of video recorded by me (2025) to help the dancers reach a wider audience.</i></b></p><p class="ql-block"><i style="font-size:15px;">On a warm spring Thursday evening, the theater was about 20% full. The toilet was the squat type. I had to call a relative to bring me toilet paper after reaching out my hand and discovering that all the dispensers were empty.</i></p> <p class="ql-block">Behind her every graceful movement are months and years of toil, with sweat and blood. In this modern age, it’s easy to create dazzling lights, dramatic visuals, and earth-shaking sound. But nothing will ever replace the graceful movement of a beautiful dancer—an increasingly rare breed of artist.</p><p class="ql-block">I paid RMB 198 to watch her dance on a warm spring Thursday evening. The show, 《云南映象》, was directed by the legendary dancer Yang Liping (杨丽萍). The theater was about 20% full. The toilet was the squat type. I had to call a relative to bring me toilet paper after reaching out my hand and discovering that all the dispensers were empty.</p><p class="ql-block">One of the taps barely dripped enough water to wet my hands. I ended up wiping them on my pants after realizing the hand dryer was sitting on the floor, with a wire plugged into a wall socket.</p> <p class="ql-block"><i style="font-size:15px;">Go see them when you are in Kunming(昆明). Support them when you can afford to. </i></p> <p class="ql-block">The setting was far from perfect. But when the music began and the dancers appeared, I forgot all of that. I loved every minute watching them perform.</p> <p class="ql-block"><i style="font-size:15px;">Recorded by me in April 2025. The video quality has been deliberately lowered from 4K resolution out of respect for the dancers and to prevent unauthorized copying. Go watch them perform on stage to experience it live.</i></p> <p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Unlike music, which can fill stadiums and reach millions through recordings, dance remains confined to the physical stage. It has yet to find a medium that allows it to be widely and efficiently shared. Each performance involves dozens of artists and even more behind-the-scenes staff, all working tirelessly—only to reach a live audience of perhaps a few dozen or a few hundred. It’s a beautiful art form, but one that struggles to support those who dedicate their lives to it.</p> <p class="ql-block"><b style="color:rgb(25, 25, 25);"><i>I’m sharing this to encourage others: </i></b></p><p class="ql-block"><b style="color:rgb(21, 100, 250);"><i>go see them when you are in Kunming(昆明). Support them when you can afford to.</i></b></p><p class="ql-block">云南艺术剧院，8:00 every day.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block"><br></p> <p class="ql-block"><i style="font-size:15px;">Kunming, a city of dance and music. Right below my hotel room on the street, I recorded a group of Dai (傣族) girls rehearsing for the upcoming Water Splashing Festival (泼水节).</i></p>