Where Heaven and Earth Meet~ photo by Chris Tatro (www.sendoutcards.com/site)

Chris and I watched an other-worldly sunset before viewing the Olympic Opening Cermonies on Friday night (8/8/08). What do you wanna bet that a bunch of our friends get a sendcoutcard of this same photo in their snail-mailboxes? I wish I could see all the faces when they open ‘em up.

Speaking of surprised faces, I have to say that both he and I were transported to yet another realm of limitless awe while we watched the Beijing Olympics. Never mind all the incredible Chinese fireworks, we both just felt privileged to witness the opening act: 2,008 Fou drummers pounding their hearts out as one.

And when the lights went out, oh my god! There were 2,008 x 2 (4,016) disembodied glowing red drumsticks, dancing like huge synchronized fireflies! Wave after wave of thunderous sound touched off unspeakably deep emotions! We were both speechless for the entire performance—not something that happens very often, at least not on my end. Generally speaking, I tend to voice my emotions.

The following text describing the Olympic Opening Ceremony is a slightly tweaked version of kewen’s post, dated August 9, called “A Grandeur Ceremony For the World“.

The Opening

“The star was a drum called Fou which can be traced all the way back to the Xia and Shang dynasties (2070BC-1046BC).”  Traditionally, the instrument was made of fired clay or bronze and “resembled an ancient storage vessel, commonly seen in museums and dating from the same period”.

The 2,008 Fou drums of the opening ceremony “formed a matrix that occupied both sides of the arena, leaving only the central rectangle empty”.

Naturally, these were not your regular square drums—electronically altered is more like it. The top emitted light from within, as did the two sticks. When the legion of robe-clad drummers beat their instruments, “gargantuan words and shapes appeared, such as the countdown numbers”—all enhanced with the effect of sweeping spot lights.

At the heart of this number was traditional Chinese group calisthenics. “But the high-tech upgrade gave it a palpable surprise: No more flipping of cards; no more human bodies forming gigantic flower petals. It was art steeped in 3,000 years of history.” (Thank-you ://URLFAN for sending me to kewen’s post.)

And is there more about the Fou? Perhaps from a Chinese perspective? Sad to say, just a bit from shove it is all I found:

Very few people would recognize the Fou, inside or outside of China. To tell the truth, this square drum used in the opening ceremony was a modern variation of an ancient instrument called Fou.

Gilded bronze Fou in the Shanghai Museum

Furthermore, Fou was not made for the express purpose of beating on. Actually, it was designed to store large amounts of liquid, like rice wine or sesame oil. Since most were constructed of fired clay, few have remained intact after thousands of years; but the Shanghai Museum houses a bronze Fou covered in gold—no doubt an up-scale version used by an aristocrat.

And now, folks, I am offering the remainder of this explanation of the Fou Drum exactly how I found it.

The square shape of Fou is also not uncommon. Following must be the one that inspired the design used in the opening ceremony. It is unearthed at 1978 from Zeng Houyi Tomb of Hubei Province. The Fou shown here has two layers. Ice or hotwater can be put in between the layers to keep the wine cool or warm. if you happen to have a similar Fou today, you can show it off as an wine chiller or a buffet service table.

Then how did the Fou become a music instrument? Very simple. When you are drinking high and you want to sing, what will you do? Grab anything you can reach and make beat. Even in today’s party, people often hit the cup with a fork to call the attentions. Due to the convenience of the Fou in a banquet, it is natrually became the instrument of choice for casual music. However, the sound is not drum-like as you can try yourself with a pot filled with water.

The Fou used in the opening ceremony is indeed quite a departure from the original Fou. First, it is in fact a drum, or a Fou-shaped drum. If you hit a Fou with the force shown by the actors, the Fou will be pieces. Second, Fou was not considered a real music instrument, or a musician’s instrument, even in its hay days. However, it is often used to show the warm welcome of the host in a party.

And that is exactly what the Chinese tried to do with much gusto—welcome the World to their party. Speaking from the upper part of the state of California, Chris and I felt the gusto. Thank-you, China!

Happy Tales,

Laura signing off

p.s. Sad to say, Beijing air quality took its first great toll in the Summer Games. Only 90 of the 143 Olympic cyclists were able to finish the “first serious endurance race“. (Let’s hope for some cleansing rain.)

Square Fou storage vessel/drum