Yue Ling Jie (moon spirit feasting)
Given that ghosts and spirits travel in straight lines, diversionary tactics are required to deflect these beings from inflicting damage upon themselves or mortals. Narratives in South East Asian performance traditions often unfold in circular patterns. The elliptical storyline is seen by composer Liza Lim as a safety device against spirits. 'A controlled space is thus created to deal with potentially dangerous situations.'1 The seemingly volatile Yue Ling Jie (Moon Spirit Feasting) is just such a space. A 'Chinese Ritual Street Opera in Seven Parts', this work by ELISION was premiered on the River Torrens as part of Adelaide Festival 2000. Music is by Lim, the libretto by Beth Yahp. If a neat plot full of sequential action and denouement were desired, one would be bitterly disconcerted. Yue Ling Jie captivated, startled, bemused, challenged and deeply respected its audience. The work draws on the mythology of the Hungry Ghost Festival. Chinese in origin, this annual month-long festival erupts wherever there are followers, as ghosts without ancestors are let loose into the world through the Gates of Hell. The full moon during the festival is the most dangerous time of the year, as the earth becomes crammed with hordes of hungry ghosts badly in need of amusement and a good feed. Communities take on collective roles to attend to these rampant spirits so that they may protect themselves for another year. There are countless versions of the Hungry Ghost story. Lim describes what she calls 'the potential archaeology of the story'- what we can decipher about a society's interests from the accents within each version.2 Lim notes,
The opera conjures up the figure of Chang-0 to re-tell her story from a