The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

bite theatre in 202. This didn’t stop Cao Cao from starting his campaign to unify northern China in 203. Warlords Sun Quan and Liu Biao fought at the Battle of Xiak- ou in 203, while Cao Cao went on to defeat Yuan Shang and the Wuhuan at the Battle of White Wolf Mountain in 207. That same year he succeeded in uniting northern China. Per- haps the bloodiest casualty of the war was when Sun Quan defeated Liu Biao and beheaded Huang Zu at the Battle of Jiangxia in 208. After Liu Biao died, Cao Cao took over Jing Province but was defeated at the Battle of the Red Cliffs by Sun Quan and Liu Bei. When Cao Cao died at the beginning of 220 AD, he was suc- ceeded by his son Cao Pi. With his eyes firmly on the throne, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian of Han, the 14th and last emper- or of the Eastern Han dynasty, to abdicate the throne. Em- peror Xian had been under the protection of Cao Cao until his death. Cao Pi then established himself as the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei, marking the end of the Han dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in China. A year later, Liu Bei not liking what he saw, challenged Cao Pi’s leadership and proclaimed himself as emperor of Shu Han. Sun Quan, who inherited control of the warlord regime after the death of his elder brother Sun Ce and had once pled his de jure suzerainty to Wei until Cao Pi demanded that he send his son Sun Deng as a hostage to the Wei capital Luoyang, established Dong Wu as an independent state in 222 AD. The battle between the three states is the basis of the large- scale real landscape show Feng Yan San Guo (Fire War of Three Kingdoms). With the Yangtze River as the background and the magnificent Three Gorges as the performing stage, this intriguing open-air show presents magical highlights of the history behind the Three Kingdoms in its entirety. Made up of nine parts, the audience is treated to major influential stories during this profound period with amazing effects of lights, sounds, and electricity. The performances are so vivid and magical that you are total- ly in awe from beginning to end. The classic ‘Sworn Brothers’ scene is staged in the beautiful peach orchard showing the dreams of Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu, while the ‘War of Xiapi’ reveals the endurance of Guan Yu serving the Cao Cao camp but his heart is in Liu Bei’s. Although he appears to feel ‘Trapped in Cao Camp’, Guan Yu is respected and treated well by Cao Cao, making it difficult for him to decipher the emotions he is going through. The ‘Ride Alone for a Thousand Miles’ reveals the legend- ary life of Guan Yu as he slays six captains to win glory in battle, while the ‘Battle of the Red Cliff’ demonstrates the allies forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan defeating the army of Cao Cao. Not only is the performance realistic and fantastic but the songs, dances, and aerobatic moves just take your breath away. The water effects are something I have never seen used in a show before and it makes War Fire of Three Kingdoms simply unique.