The day a die-hard fan looked down on Peking Opera

As a die-hard fan of Peking Opera, I was thrilled to get a chance to watch a show at a newly completed theater for folk opera in Beijing. Like most fans, I could only afford the cheapest ticket, which was still very expensive at 180 yuan ($25). My seat was in the second to last row on the third floor.

During the break, my friend told me he saw someone storming off, complaining loudly that it was "a suffering" to be there. I had heard similar comments about the theater. But I tried to calm my friend: Don't you see? We sit high up and observe the scenes below, like the Creator admiring his own work.

Before the show began, I took a few minutes to look around me. The first floor was so low that the audience looked like ducks straining to look up; the third floor was so high that everyone had to look down. Only the second floor allowed spectators a normal viewing angle. But the seats there were going for between 880 and 1,280 yuan.