The brochure's INTRODUCTION says:
Every year, Nanluoguxiang - a UNESCO World Heritage list site - comes alive with visitors from across China and the world. As part of the government’s initiative to preserve culturally rich areas, this hutong (old Chinese village) haven has received a recent 1billion yuan facelift, ushering in the Olympics and the attention of the world. For one weekend in September, the heritage and buzz of this hutong will be open to the world for a street celebration - the Nanluoguxiang Performance Festival.
PERFORMANCE BUZZ
On any normal day, Nanluoguxiang is filled with fascinating sights and sounds and this Performance Festival will add to that, bringing local, regional, and national acts -from traditional Chinese performers, to alternative rock and folk musicians, cool jazz and marching percussion bands; graffiti artists, art exhibitions; DJs; storytellers; and more.
Enhancing the festival experience, an eclectic array of programmes in dance, theatre and performance art will be featured as well as the involvement of exhibitors, shops and restaurants into a two-day long street celebration.
To highlight a few of the performers and events: A French food stall along the hutong, a flea market, accordion players, a Yang Ge (fan dancing) team, a fashion show, a Korean cooking display, a pottery workshop, storytelling for kids, graffiti painting, and art exhibitions. At night, the hutong will come to life with film screenings, music, and DJs.
WHAT CAN I SAY?
Awesome but---it's too commercialized. Too much, really that I didn't even smell nor breathe any Chinese stuff in it. Though it's called a hutong (an old Chinese village), the place doesn't even feel like one. It looks like one but the modern-day hutong: furnished, refurbished and magnificiently renovated. I imagined more Chinese traditional performances but to my dismay, the celebration has more western performances, western food / restaurants and western people who managed it.
Whatever happened...?
A lot of hutong residents, mostly aged, sat on the bricks and stools while watching and wondering how come a lot of foreign objects walked by and took pictures of everything they were seeing. I doubt if most of them have an idea of the agog was all about.
The big question in my mind was: How come the place is a UNESCO accredited cultural site? I have never seen so ancient in it there. I didn't feel nor see it's ancientness. Perhaps, this is another tourist trap to earn bread?
Though its free but, hello, sponsors were everywhere.