Chapter 333 – Sudden performance! (1/2)
Dong Xuebing and Deputy Bureau Chief Qin Yong sat at the middle-back rows.
“Old Qin, what is the Public Security Bureau performing?”
“I think they are doing a Wushu performance. What is your Investment Promotion Agency performing?”
“I was just appointed, and I am not sure. But the Investment Promotion Agency has lesser people than Public Security Bureau. I think it should be one of the staff members singing a song.”
5.20 pm. Most of the government staff had entered the hall.
Suddenly, the hall becomes quiet, and Dong Xuebing turns to the entrance. The top leaders of the County had arrived. Xiang Daofa and Xie Huilan were walking in front. Party Secretary Xiang and Mayor Xie had dressed down today, and the Party Community, Cao Xupeng, Huang Li, Duan Zhengan, etc. were walking in behind them.
Five to six minutes later, all the seats in the hall were taken up. As Dong Xuebing had expected, there were not enough seats for all the people in the hall. Some lower-level staff who had arrived later had to sit on the corridors.
The host, a pretty middle-aged woman, went up the stage and started talking.
Dong Xuebing whispered to Qin Yong. “This lady looks very familiar.”
“She is Su Jia.” Qin Yong introduced. “She is a broadcaster with our County’s TV station.”
“Oh, is this celebration live telecasted in our County?” Dong Xuebing looks at the two cameras beside the stage.
Qin Yong shook his head. “It is recorded, but it will not be broadcasted. This is recorded for our own staff, and the live telecast of the celebration in our County is on the first day of Lunar New Year.”
The hostess, Su Jia, finished her opening lines and passed the mic to Party Secretary Xiang. It’s the usual speech where he praised the staff for their hard work, etc. when he noticed the audience was not very enthusiastic about listening to his boring speech, he ends it. Su Jia thanked Xiang Daofa and invited Mayor Xie to the stage for a speech.
Xie Huilan smiled and waved her hand. “I will not give a speech. Just start the program.”
The crowd cheered. Xie Huilan’s one sentence had louder cheers than Xiang Daofa’s long speech. Xiang Daofa remained expressionless, but he is frowning in his heart.
The music started, and tonight’s program started.
The first program is by the County’s cultural troupe. It is an opening dance that consists of more than a dozen people. The dancers are all young and pretty, and they wore traditional Han dresses. The County’s cultural troupe is a department that specialized in such performance.
When this performance ended, the audience cheered.
Dong Xuebing clapped and asked. “They still have sketch?”
The actors entered the stage with exaggerated makeups and costumes.
This sketch is about an old man walking on a banana skin thrown by a woman on his way to a matchmaking session. In the end, that woman turns out to be his matchmaking partner. The actor and actress are not professional after all and had made some blunders.
Dong Xuebing was surprised to see the government staff putting up these interesting performances. It still has some educational values within it. This sketch is put up by the Environmental Protection Department. It is sending the message of not throwing rubbish everywhere.
In the front row, Xiang Daofa whispered to the leaders beside him and nodded. They seem to be pleased with this performance. As leaders, they are not concerned if the performance is good or not. They are more concerned if the performance had sent out a positive message.
The actor and actress bowed and walked into the backstage.
Su Jia appeared on the stage again and announced the third program.
It is a performance by the Cultural Department by one of the retired Cultural Department staff. Some workers carried a table, paper, brushes, and ink up the stage. That old man did not say anything and started making a painting. The crowd cheered when the painting was completed.
Dong Xuebing also cheered despite not knowing anything about Chinese paintings. “Good painting!”
Qin Yong nodded. “Yes. It’s a good painting.”