Rock for the ages

Vocalist Ding Wu struts across the stage, sporting his signature tight pants and loose T-shirt. The 46-year-old singer now wears his hair cropped closely around his face.

"You guys have been waiting for nine years, and we really appreciate that," says Ding, lead singer of Tang Dynasty, China's first multi-platinum heavy metal band.

He looked out onto a crowd of some 1,000 fans gathered near the 798 arts district in mid June when the band gave its first performance after nine years' public disappearance.