Making a Difference Creatively

Talking about making a difference, one of the most creative social entrepreneurial projects I have ever seen is the “Impression Liu Sanjie” in Guilin in the southern part of China. It is a grand musical show directed by Zhang Yimong, the famous director in China, on the largest natural theatre in the world consisting of area of 2 km long Li Jiang river and 12 peaks as stage setting.

The magnificent background setting, artistic neon lighting, and celestial beauty of the show took my breath away. The story is about a legendary figure Liu Sanjie who represents the beauty, love, and courage. Much has changed in the outside world, but people in this remote village are still singing the old songs… Time seems stopped here.

What’s different about this musical show is that it’s actually a poverty-alleviation project. The average income for the farmers there is less than $10 a month. Thousands of people from the surrounding villages participated in the show. Each show employs 600 local village performers. Each person received $3 for the performance he/she attended. It attracts the significant amount of tourists to the area. The tickets cost anywhere between $20 – $80. This is absolutely a world-class show – as someone said: “a masterpiece by the Creator and man.”

I was deeply moved and inspired by the show. It taught me that there are many different ways to make a difference, and you just have to be creative!

China, musical, tourism, entertainment