Last night, we went to Shaanxi Grand Opera House Xi’an where we had a rich dumpling banquet and watched a grand Tang Palace Dance Show.

The food they served at the beginning was quite good and I was so surprised by the various dumplings. I got say those cooks are so imaginative.

When we finished the food, dance show was about to begin. I asked for a program menu on which there were bilingual program names such as Hua Qing Palace, White Sleeve Dance, Panpipe solo “Spring Orioles Songs”, Spring Outing, etc. and their explanations. The hosts were dressed in Tang clothes as royals of Tang dynasty. Each program was explained in bilingual at the beginning which helped a lot. Beside gorgeous costumes and stage light, beautiful music and talented performers, the ten programs was also well organized, making the whole show enrich. What impressed me most was White Sleeve Dance. The dancers waved their long sleeves that make beautiful shape. It was said it is a folk dance originated as early as Jin Dynasty (AD256~316) and became very popular in Central China during Tang Dynasty. The background song was written by Li Bai, a famous poet in Tang Dynasty.

It was a wonderful experience, whether the dumpling banquet or the dance show.

A very elaborate cultural show depicting the history of the Tang Dynasty. There were periods of war, peace and glamour. There were english subtitles to provide relevant stories as depicted by the dances.
Very elaborate costumes and good use lightings and sound system.
For non Chinese, this would be a good introduction to chinese history and culture.
The place was packed with foreigners.
A 1.5 hours show with choice of dinner plus show or show only.

We spent an evening at the Tang Dynasty, where we had a dumpling banquet to start followed by the music and dance show.

The dumpling banquet itself was fine - I particularly enjoyed the dumplings which were shaped into animals. However, many of them really pretty bland and I have definitely tasted better. I'd recommend asking around for a better dumpling banquet, as I'm sure you could find better in Xi'an.

But the real disappointment was the show - it was extremely tacky, and the only real talent was a lady playing wind pipes and a trumpet player. Other than that, I couldn't wait for the show to be over. The theatre itself is old and grubby, and could really do with a make over.

We paid 300RMB each for the experience, which in my opinion was a total rip off. If you have any alternative plans for an evening, I would do that.

I expected this show to be touristy and a little over the top but was pleasantly surprised. The food they served at the beginning was actually quite good. The show had terrific costumes and the people in the show were very talented. The theater was very nice and comfortable. I would highly recommend seeing this show if you are in Xi'an.