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From Abroad

Aside from being the home of Suzhou, Nanjing and Wu culture, 江苏省 (Jiangsusheng – Jiangsu Province) is also renowned for producing 昆曲(kunqu – Kun Opera). This operatic style actually takes its name from the town of 昆山 (Kunshan), which is very, very close to Suzhou. Given Suzhou’s much-espoused status as a cultural interchange capital, it is easy to see how Kun Opera has also become associated with Suzhou. Thus, Suzhou itself has a fantastic 昆曲博物馆 (kunqu bowuguan – Kun Opera museum).

So. On a drenched Sunday in June (the infamous “rainy season”), Wendy and I found ourselves pouring through local tour books and internet guides attempting to locate this fabulous museum we had heard so much about. As is often the case with all the best things in China, it took some serious digging to uncover an address…and, of course, it was in a very hard-to-reach part of town. Anticipating the hassle to come over giving the 师傅(shifu – literally “master worker” but here meaning taxi driver), directions on how to reach a place we had never been, Wendy and I felt the need to fortify ourselves first with dumplings. Oh, but we do love our 饺子 (jiaozi – dumplings) and our 包子 (baozi – steamed buns). :)

We stopped at this chain place in the big shopping district of Suzhou, mostly because we were with someone who was splintering off there but also because this place has these amazing fish dumplings. (Sadly for me, it seems most dumplings are pork or beef mixtures, so I am very excited by seafood dumpling soup.) The best part about these fish dumplings is the spicy chili broth they are in – usually dumplings are accompanied by near-tasteless bowls of what basically amounts to the water that the dumplings are cooking in with some seasonings and scallions sprinkled in. Sometimes it really will be just the water the dumplings are cooking in with no embellishments. I will never understand this, though Wendy has explained on repeated occasions that simply consuming the dumplings alone is considered unhealthy.

While there, Wendy managed to talk me into eating yet another something I would never imagine consuming on my own: duck’s blood soup. According to Wendy, this was a regional specialty and one she had been really looking forward to trying. I am apparently a complete pushover for a dare, so we ordered a bowl.

The duck’s blood is the dark chunks floating in the broth. For those looking to vicariously experience this dish, read on. For those who don’t want to know what duck’s blood is like, skip the rest of this paragraph…ready? It’s somehow congealed (maybe with gelatin of some kind?), and then maybe lightly boiled like an English pudding and sliced into bite-sized strips. It’s definitely unique…has the texture of flan and a dark, salty, metallic taste…I don’t think I’ll be having seconds, though. Ever again. ;) In some places, they serve it in giant, Jell-O Jigglersesque chunks that are a bright, bright red…as it if has barely gelled…

Moving on from lunch…

As it turns out, the 师傅 had no idea where this place was, so it was very fortunate that Wendy: A. had a map; and B. is a native speaker and my Chinese teacher…we were able to work this out. We arrived outside of the museum which, in addition to housing a beautiful display on the history of Kun Opera, also had audio guides to their collection IN ENGLISH (awesome) and a full-sized stage where live performances are held on Sundays and other special occasions.

Here’s some photos from the inside…

At the same time Wendy and I were in the museum, a couple of Kun Opera buffs were getting their engagement photos shot…in costume…I think they looked great, personally, and couldn’t resist snapping a shot or two…

The had miniature models of famous stage designs, too…

The outdoor stage…

Costumes…

And here’s a video…it’s from the 牡丹亭 (Mu Dan Ting – Peony Pavilion), a very famous Kun Opera of which this is a very famous duet…it’s also one of my favorite works, in music as well as in storyline…

So, yeah. Sunday at the Kun Opera Museum.