Eric's Beijing Diary

Got out of class at 6pm, rode my bike to Wudaokou, took the light rail to Xizhimen, bought a piping hot ear of sweet corn from a street vendor for 1 kuai, caught the subway to Dongsishitiao, and went to the Poly Theatre, which is right outside Exit B. I was a little uncertain about being able to do it, because the show started at 7:30, and I didn't have a ticket. At the gate to the theater, I was accosted by someone hawking tickets, but I ignored him. I figured if it came to that, I would just give it up. Fortunately, I was able to get a seat in the nosebleed section, literally the very last row of the balcony. Far away, and I should have had binoculars, but at least there were no obstructions--I could see the whole show without having to crane my neck to look over some big guy in front of me.

The Ukrainian Ballet. Every culture has it's strengths, but I think when it comes to this sort of thing, the Russians have it down. I'm no expert. When I was in college, I always stayed away from the kind of P.E. classes where you had to wear tights. And I don't think I would want to do that sort of thing for a living. But if you put it all together, the artistry, the color and the music, it really is a good performance. Beautiful music, and very colorful. Black and white TV would never do it justice.

A lot of ballets come through Beijing. Actually, a lot of different kinds of performances make the tour of Beijing and Shanghai, because there are plenty of people in both communities who are interested. And able to pay for it. The cheap seat I bought was still 120RMB, which is about $15 US, but it is a week's wages for a minimum wage earner. And the tickets go up from there. The most expensive tickets are much more than would be afforded by an average audience in the countryside. There are shows in the countryside, too. But they are uniquely Chinese. In Beijing and Shanghai, you have every possible variety, with some modifications. When the Rolling Stones came to Shanghai a few weeks ago, they had to cut four songs out of their performance.