9MostChinesecitiesclosedownafterdinner,butShanghaiwon’tgotosleepsoearly.Shanghai,oncefamousforitsnightlifeandculture,afterdecadesofdepression,startstoregainitsformerreputation.Withtherapiddevelopmentofitseconomy,Shanghai’snightlifehasactuallybecomerichinthepasttwoorthreeyears.Intheurbanarea,peoplecankilltimeatnightbyvariousmeans.Popularnightclubsmostlydon’tcloseuntil2am.Shanghaihasvariouskindsoftheaters,whereplays,circus,traditionalChineseoperasandconcertarepresented.Promotedbythedevelopmentoffirst-classhotels,alargenumberofnightclubs,discosandkaraokeloungeshaveemerged.PeoplecanplaypoolatanAmericanbar,danceatanightclub,andenjoyexcellentwineandcigarsincomfortablehotellounges.However,althoughShanghai’snightlifeisbecomingmature,thewesternstyleentertainmentthecitycanprovideisstilllimited.PekingOperaisregardedasnationalquintessenceinChinawhoseaccompaniment,melodiesandcostumesareallhighlyartistic.PekingOperaisfullofChineseculturalelements.ItisnotexaggeratingtosaythatPekingOperaisanencyclopediaofChineseculture.AsPekingOperaenjoysahigherreputationthanotherlocaloperas,nearlyeveryprovinceinChinahasitsownPekingOperatroupes.PekingOperaisverypopularinChina,especiallywiththesenior,anditsfansareknownas“piaoyou”inChinese.PekingOperahasahistoryofover200years.ThoughitiscalledPekingOpera,itsmainmelodieswerederivedfrom“Xipi”melodyinAnhuiProvinceand“Erhuang”melodyinHubeiProvince.Lateron,itborrowedtechniquesfrommanyotherlocaloperastobecomematured.ItisgenerallyacceptedthatPekingOperawasgraduallyformedafterthefourmajorAnhuioperatroupesventuredintoBeijingin1790.DuringthereignofEmperorQianlongandEmpressDowagerCixi,PekingOperawasoncefinancedbythecourtanddevelopedveryquickly.Lateritgraduallybecamepopularwiththecommonpeople.NanjingYunjinBrocadeisoneoftheThreeWell-knownBrocadesinChina.ItsproductionmightstretchbacktothetimesoftheThreeKingdoms.Yunjinderivesitsnamefromitsgorgeouscolorsanddesigns,whicharelikethesplendidcloudsinthesky.ItusedtobeamongthearticlesoftributetotheimperialfamiliesduringtheMingandQingdynasties.ThehandicraftsmadeofYunjinshowauniquestyleofmagnificence.ThethemeisusuallytraditionalChinesedesignslikedragon,phoenixandpeony.Theyaregorgeousandelegant,highlyornamental,andrichinChineseflavor.Therefore,theyareverypopularbothathomeandabroad.Yunjinskillsrepresentthesummitofhandweavinginhumansociety,buttodaytherearenotmorethan50peopleintheworldwhomastertheartofYunjin.ThisisbecauseYunjinskillsareextremelysophisticated.Today,itisstillimpossibletohandlethemonelectriclooms.NanjingYunjinhasalwaysbeenwovenontheoldtraditionallooms,whichdemandsthecoordinatedeffortsoftwoworkers.Awholeday’sjointlaboroftwoworkerscanproduceonly5centimetersofYunjin.Hencethesaying“aninchofYunjinisworthaninchofgold”.HolidaytourisminChinaisabigmoneymaker.Thetotalincomefromentranceticketsaloneat100majortouristspotscouldhitaboutRMB380million.TheseplacesofinterestsincludetheGreatWallinBeijing,MountTaiinShandongProvince,andthePotalaPalaceintheTibetAutonomousRegion.However,people’senthusiasmforsightseeingseemstocooldown,andtourismisnotthetopholidayprogramofentertainment.Arecentsurveyshowedthatonly14.8%amongsome71,000respondentsmightgoonatourduringtheholiday.Unmanageablecrowdsofpeopleatsometouristspotsandpoorservicesofthetravelagenciesarethemajorreasonsforthedeclininginterestintourism.Iftheserviceindustrystaysatsucha...
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