Chapter 932: Landing in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country that is hardly famous on a map, is perhaps best known for the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince in Saskatchewan. That gunshot ignited the fuse that led to World War I.
Saskatchewan is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a valley city surrounded by mountains.
Besides the first war, there was an even more devastating siege battle that resulted in the deaths of many people and the displacement of more than half of the population, who became refugees. Many subsequent game and literary works have drawn on the story background of this place. Due to the constant fighting and friction on the surrounding borders, this place has never been free from the shadow of war.
Tension and sorrow are the underlying tones of this city, where ancient civilization and the trauma of war intertwine to create such a unique place.
Even now, as he drives along the streets, Xiao He can see the scars of war etched everywhere.
The white building walls are covered with bullet holes of varying depths and scorch marks from artillery fire. Many roads also have bullet craters filled with red resin as special historical markers. It is said that behind these "blood-red rose" marks are the loss of many lives.
So everyone was rather quiet along the way, and even the whispers in the car decreased significantly.
This city, which has witnessed war and embodies countless yearnings for peace, perfectly aligns with the anti-war theme of their performance.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why they have worked so hard to get to where they are today.
However, such a city is not entirely filled with historical scars and pain.
The vehicle's trajectory was clever. It first showed them the old city, letting them experience war and gain more insight into the upcoming performance of "The Root of Evil." Then, it turned around and took them to the most bustling area of Saarland.
European-style buildings, majestic churches, bustling markets, leisurely street corners... Tourists and residents come and go as usual, and the public is crowded with people, creating a thriving scene.
Thus, Xiao He and his group witnessed the modern side of this place and felt the lively and vibrant local life.
I was able to quickly experience the different scenery here.
Arriving here also means they are nearing their final destination.
Soon, the vehicle slowly came to a stop.
They've arrived at their hotel.
As this is a relatively important drama competition, the hotel here is specially catering to participating teams from various countries.
So as soon as he got off the bus, Xiao He could clearly feel that the ethnic groups here were more diverse. People from different countries spoke different languages, and many could be identified as not being locals from their demeanor and attire.
These are all here to participate in the competition.
The World Olympic Theatre Competition is an international competition held roughly every four years. It is undoubtedly a very important competition for those in the industry, but those outside the industry pay little attention to it, and many people may not even know that its competition is actually divided into six main categories.
First is the play, namely Xiao He and his team's play "The Root of Calamity" which is mainly based on pure dialogue and physical storytelling. "The Root of Calamity" is also their original script that boldly innovated and officially brought to the stage.
Secondly, there are operas, ballets, traditional operas from various countries, and niche experimental theater. From their names, you can generally understand what their performance content is.
What's unique here is that although the performance formats differ—some groups perform purely, some sing purely, and some dance purely—the competition actually involves all types competing on the same stage, with all categories participating in the evaluation, and there are no separate group finals.
This also means that everyone here is a competitor, and all of them are competing for the gold and silver awards. The winner is determined solely by a comprehensive evaluation of stage performance and the core of humanistic values.
As a result, the atmosphere at the event lacked the harmonious spirit of discussing art together, exchanging ideas and performances. Most contestants merely nodded to each other upon meeting, appearing quite distant.
At the same time, and most importantly, the last competition was actually six years ago.
There are many reasons why such competitions are postponed. A large part of the reason is the virus that happened back then, and another part is the increasingly chaotic international situation and the increasingly weak theatrical performances themselves. So now, after all this time, six years have passed since the last competition.
In these six years, a lot has happened, and many people's lives have undergone earth-shattering changes. These changes have not only affected one country, but have swept across the entire planet.
This could also mean that the older generation of actors has stepped down, and outstanding young actors like Yang Heng are gradually taking center stage.
In addition, this rare restart of the competition has become a window for many people to express their thoughts and an opportunity to make a comeback. Therefore, many people in the industry attach great importance to this competition. There are even rumors that in this era of "AI rising and art dying", this competition may be the last one.
This serious yet somewhat melancholic atmosphere, for some reason, makes one feel a little wistful.
Xiao He didn't even wear a mask or hat before following everyone into the hotel lobby.
But soon he discovered that there were fans everywhere outside.
It's no joke that someone can become famous overseas.
Oh my God!
Several blonde, blue-eyed white girls ran over excitedly, ignoring their teammates' objections.
"Small box!"
One of the girls called Xiao He's name in broken Chinese.
Xiao He immediately turned around and glanced at them, then smiled and greeted them warmly in a foreign language.
There's no way around it. Although he hasn't produced that many works overseas, his characters are really famous, and his exported TV dramas are very popular. His female audience overseas is even more exaggerated than in China.
Of course, this is because there are also many male fans who like him in China, so the proportion of female fans has actually been averaged out.
Only overseas, during the "Law of the Jungle" period, Xiao He had already reached the point where he was besieged by female fans from overseas at the airport.
This is really too popular...
"Thank you, thank you for your kind words."
Xiao He skillfully performed a series of actions typical of celebrities meeting fans and agreed to their requests to post on Douyin and overseas accounts.
"Xiao He, are you here to participate in the competition too?"
One of the girls asked.
“Yes, I came here as a special guest with my teammates.” Xiao He glanced at their attire and demeanor and asked, “Are you here to perform an opera? Your voices are all very beautiful.”
Yes, yes!
The girls covered their mouths excitedly and continued to plead, "Xiao He, can you say 'good luck' to us? We all like you so much!"
Xiao He couldn't bring himself to cheer for his opponent directly, nor could he refuse a fan's request, so after thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "I look forward to seeing you on stage."
"Okay! Thank you, Xiao He!"
Completely unaware of Xiao He's cautious remarks, everyone happily thanked him.
Soon after, news of Xiao He's appearance in Bosnia and Herzegovina quickly spread to the international internet.