Last Friday, for our weekly event, we watched Peking Opera at the Qingdao Grand Theatre. As a young man from the United States, it was my first time to watch live Peking Opera, and it was special.

    Peking Opera, also known as Beijing Opera, is called “京剧 (Jingju)” in Chinese. It is a traditional Chinese opera and has a history of over 200 years. It is an art form that combines music, vocal performance, dance and acrobatics(杂技). The works of Peking Opera are mainly based on Chinese history and traditional stories and customs.

The performance we watched that night was called Meeting the Queen and Hitting the Dragon Robe (长袍) The story is from a Chinese classic literature. Bao Zheng was one of the most well-known ancient Chinese government officials in Chinese history. One day, he met an old lady on his way back home. The old lady claimed herself as the mother of the emperor and had been set up by others. After checking that the old lady was the emperor's mother, Bao Zheng helped her to get back to the capital and she blamed the emperor for all the misery she had suffered. She ordered Bao Zheng to punish the emperor and Bao Zheng hit the dragon robe instead of hitting the emperor in order to save himself from being punished.

When the opera started, we were amazed by the unique sound made by the musical instruments. They were in perfect cooperation with the singing of the performers. Also, the costumes the performers wore were extremely beautiful and attractive as they have several colours and patterns on each one of them. The performers also "told" the story by their movement. For example, a walk around the stage would mean they took a long trip somewhere. Even though it was kind of hard for us to get used to the music and to follow the story, we were glad that we decided to join the event! We look forward to such an event again. It really helps us know more about Chinese culture.

    Traveling to every part of the world gets easier, but how well do we know and understand each other. Here's a simple test. Imagine you are planning to hold a meeting at four o'clock. What time should you expect your foreign business friends to arrive? If they are Germans, they'll arrive on time. If they are Americans, they'll probably be 15 minutes early. If they are Englishmen, they'll be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for the Italians.

    The British seemed to think since the English language was widely used in the world, people would always understand what they do. However, they found they were completely wrong. For example, the British are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters and have a drink during the meal. The Japanese prefer not to work while eating. Lunch is a time for them to relax and get to know each other and they don't drink at lunchtime. The Germans like to talk business before dinner. The French like to eat first and talk afterwards. They have to be well fed and watered before they discuss anything.

Subway

    A subway is not just an important form of transport. It is also a window for other people to learn about local cultures.

    Beijing, China

    The Beijing Subway was opened in 1969 and is the oldest subway system in China. It has added some modern technologies. All stations now have touch-screen maps. In some stations, people can also see traditional Chinese cultures. For example, on the walls of a few stations of Line 8, there are some pictures of blue and white porcelain(青花瓷）.

    Stockholm, Sweden

    The system of the Stockholm Subway has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. The first subway line for Stockholm was opened in 1950. The Stockholm Subway is well-known for its decoration of the stations. It is called the longest art gallery in the world. Over 90 percent of its stations are decorated with paintings. A few stations are decorated with red bedrocks（岩床）. This makes you feel as if you are in a cave.

    London, UK

The London Underground or the Tube is the oldest subway in the world. It was opened in 1863. During World War II, it was used to protect people from German plane attacks（袭击）on London. Now, it is a symbol of the city. There is no air conditioning in the trains, so it is very hot in summer.

    New York, US

The New York City Subway has the most extensive public transportation system in the world, with 469 stations. It is also one of the world's oldest public transit systems. The New York City Subway runs 24 hours a day. It has an express train on almost every line. You can get to your destination(目的地）promptly. The trains themselves are full of fun; you will see people doing moonwalk dances like Michael Jackson, playing the guitar and singing.

    Good morning. The program today is about music. The word "music" comes from the Greek word "muse". The Muses are the goddesses of the arts. The Music is only one of the arts. It is like the spoken language, but it uses sounds. Today's program brings together music from different concerts of the world. Who invented music? Who sang the first song? No one knows exactly the answers to these questions. But we know that music plays an important part in almost everyone's life. Babies and young children love to hear people singing to them. When they are a little older, they like to sing the songs they have heard. When children go to school, their world of music grows. In the middle grades, students take music lessons. When they reach high school, they become interested in listening to pop music.

    The records we have chosen for you today are from American country music, Indian music, pop music and so on. Music has meaning for everyone. It can make people happy or it can make them sad. In this program we shall study the language of music. We shall be trying to find out more about how music works. We shall try to find out how music says what people feel.

    Now, here comes the music today, I shall explain why they are all good music.

    One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend. Rick told him that his flat was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?

    In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, which Americans would call the second floor.

    The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English.

    The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with.

    The British and Americans may use different terms for many things. The British usually use football, eraser and mail while Americans prefer to use soccer, rubber and post.