Guard Diva Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Saw the Mandarins this weekend and I get the concept of leaving the homeland and moving to America, etc, but what does the whole section about the 7 windows, 3 rootops, 2 brothers, retc have to do with ANYTHING? The narrator says he found it on a slip of paper and I think he says his mother left it for him or something... but he goes into great detail about the meaning of these strange characters left on this paper.... What does this have to do with their show about coming to America? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Yeah…this is what I really don’t like in show design. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 The show is about Chinese immigrants coming to America via Angel Island (see this article about the place posted a few days ago in another thread). While European immigrants coming into Ellis Island on the east coast could get into America relatively easily, Chinese immigrants were tightly restricted. When they arrived seeking a better life in America they were held in basically prison-like conditions for weeks or months and then sent back to China... unless they could prove they were related to someone who had already immigrated successfully: He explained the "paper sons" era, after the 1906 earthquake. When citizenship records were destroyed in the subsequent fire, it enabled some Chinese to invoke the "native exception" to the Exclusion Act and bring "relatives" over from China. "They'd first bring in the alleged father, sit him down and ask all these questions," Louie said. "It'd take days. Then they'd bring in an alleged son, and the son better answer the same way, or you're gone. Sent back. "So the father would write down all questions, like the name of maternal grandmothers, all this stuff, and they'd both have to memorize it. Sometimes, they'd still be detained months." That's what the part you're referring to comes from.Personally I was confused by this element of the narration at first as well, but I realized it was some secret coded way to get through immigration, and I figured there was an interesting story behind it. IMO, Mandarins have done something brilliant that no other WC drum corps has managed to do: use narration is a truly compelling way. The fact that they're telling a true, bittersweet tale of the Chinese immigrant experience is something remarkably unique and powerful, and obviously meaningful to the corps itself, while also being relevant to current political discussions. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skevinp Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I think it's neat because it was like a little mystery that made me curious to learn the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashevillemurphy Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 what? narration ... I don't believe it ... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Well i don't mind this one as much because it's the voice of a mature adult instead of Bobby Brady like some other corps has. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Villane Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 It's is honestly one of the best uses of narration since 2008 Bluecoats. Maybe not better but still very nice. Enjoyed the Mandarins show very much this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 It's is honestly one of the best uses of narration since 2008 Bluecoats. Maybe not better but still very nice. Enjoyed the Mandarins show very much this year. Yea that Bluecoat show was cool. (the cop show right)? This one is pretty cool though. At first I was huh narration but it is a good story and I really embrace the Mandarins past. They have been around for quite a while. I have a photo of them from 71. I sent it to their director about 9-10 years ago back when they were the A 60 champs for many years. My neighbors loved Mandarins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Here's a good site with some more Angel Island history and stories of people who were trapped there as children. In particular, this story talks about the interrogations and how specific the questions were that you had to answer to prove you were part of a family that was already here. And this one talks about how getting even one question a little bit wrong could mean you'd get stuck there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecoats88 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 It's is honestly one of the best uses of narration since 2008 Bluecoats. Maybe not better but still very nice. Enjoyed the Mandarins show very much this year. if you are referring to Criminal that was 2007 2008 was the Knockout show which also used some narration to good effect during the drum solo training section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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