We went to see Beijing Opera last Saturday. The Opera house was part of a hotel that catered to tourists and the like. I've been to a Beijing Opera house 7 years ago (it was to see an acrobatic show not opera.) and this theater was vastly different. It's part of a bigger hotel, and it's aimed at the tourist industry. On both sides of the main stage, there are two large screens that project the lyrics and their English translations to make it easier for the audience to understand. We sat in the second tier seats, where they served us tea and snacks. Even the tea pour-er is trained! They flip and twirl and throw their special teapots, creating a great spectacle as they pour your tea.

The opera was very fascinating. My mother used to sing another type of opera, so I've always been interested in Chinese opera, and Beijing opera being the most representative. We saw two shows, the first of which was from 天女散花 (it was rather slow, and I caught a few people falling asleep) but the second show was very exciting and quite a spectacle. The costumes were very magnificent and vibrant, and along with minimal props they set up the environment for the story to take place in. The actors were so precise and this art form not includes singing, but also martial arts, acrobatics, acting, and engaging with the audience. Even if you do not understand the Chinese, you will be touched by the beauty of something like this coming together.

On another note, classes are still very difficult, but becoming more manageable. There really isn't much time to do anything else during the week. Our teacher didn't give us homework on Wednesday because of Independence Day, and I used it to catch up on some sleep. Because we are so busy all the time, the days seem to go by really quickly. I can't believe the third week is already over, and we're heading to Inner Mongolia a week from now for my social study project.