On our last trip, we were entertained at a state dinner by a group of Peking opera musicians. While this was a great introduction to the art form, I must say that the western stomache is not accustomed to digestion in the presence of screeches and clanging, no matter how artfully performed. This time, we had the priviledge of viewing a complete opera performance, complete with high-tech computerized display boards each side of the stage for the english and chinese captioning.

We saw two classic pieces. The first about a Lady and Fisherman. The lady has seen her lover get on a boat and go downriver. She pleads with the fisherman to take her and follow him. He agrees, but is obviously not as invested in catching up as she is. The acting was superb, and the movements of the actors made the lack of a boat, or for that matter, even a river, on the stage, seem a moot point. We saw it all, with the only prop being the fisherman's pole. The second was a mythical tale of the monkey king, who was assigned to guard the emperors peach orchard, and instead helps himself to the peaches.