Three articles looking at different aspects of the art in the world's most populous country:
A ballet fan - Wang Ermin from The China Daily
By anyone's standards, Wang Ermin is a dedicated ballet fan. The Beijing-based maintenance engineer has collected 100 kg worth of memorabilia since first being bewitched by ballet in 1978.
And while he can remember when a ticket to a top show cost just 2 jiao, he's prepared to do whatever it takes to get his hands on a 680 yuan (US$81) ticket these days. Far from being the highbrow, cash-rich connoisseur many of us associate with the art, Wang gets by on a salary of 2,000 yuan (US$240) per month.
On Sunday of this week he had a warm glow as he waited with hundreds of others in the snow for entrance to a special ballet lecture at the Poly Theatre. Inside, around 2,000 ballet buffs, many parents with their children, listened to Zhao Ruheng, head of the Central Ballet of China.
After the lecture, they enjoyed highlights of several ballets which will be staged at the turn of the year by the troupe.
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Articles about ballet training in China always seem to mention pain.
Grace under pressure By Li Shuo for The China Daily
From this Christmas to the start of next year, dozens of ballet performances will lighten up the capital stage over winter.
Troupes from home and abroad will stage a series of diverse performances.
Beijing Weekend went behind the scenes to find out about the passion, pain and pleasure of the people who make it all possible.
Sunrise
It's 8 am. Xie Lijun, 13, still feels sleepy.
Yet she is already standing to attention with 15 classmates in the high and spacious classroom of the Middle School affiliated to Beijing Dancing Institute, waiting for her daily 90-minute ballet lesson.
After a brief greeting with their teacher Yu Jing, she begins stretching her legs at the bar.
The girls, with their long hair tied up in buns, wear navy blue one-piece gym suits. They look especially graceful with pretty long legs clad in white stockings and soft ballet shoes.
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Ballet in Beijing from China Daily
Fountain of Tears
The Central Ballet of China, also known as the National Ballet of China, is to perform Fountain of Tears. Inspired by Russian poet Pushkin's poem, the ballet is choreographed by Ben Stevenson of the American Houston Ballet Troupe. The story tells how a Mongolian king falls in love with a princess from Poland when his army invades Europe. 80-580 yuan (US$9-70). 7:30 pm, Dec 21-22. Poly Theatre (####). Tel: 6506-5345, 6500-1188 ext 5126
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