It started out like things often do, with a joke. A 5 kuai ticket purchased. We sat down in the front row surrounded by dozens of Suzhou's friendliest geezers and poured ourselves a cup of tea. Before long, a man was speaking onstage. We ignored him at first, assuming he was introducing the performers. But, he kept talking, so we started listening, well watching really, but we laughed as hard as anyone else. We don't speak the local lingo, but in this case it didn’t matter. It was oddly like watching an episode of Law and Order with the sound turned down. A crime takes place. What followed was a search for justice that introduces a dozen different characters. The body language and changing tones of the one man on stage unfolded the plot as eloquently as a dozen performers could have. This story lasted about an hour before it was time for intermission. When we came back, the musicians had already taken the stage.
Pingtan is sung in the local dialect, and while we didn't understand, we couldn't help but enjoy it. It was the sort of authentic experience that had escaped us for so long. It's what people in Suzhou have been doing for hundreds of years and will keep doing for many more years to come. It definitely beats a day on the couch watching DVDs. To get there, it's a little tricky. You walk down Pingjiang road. The road is closed to cars and begins on the north side of Ganjiang road across from the Gloria Plaza Hotel. As you head east, look for a small alley on your right side called Zhong Zhang Jia Xiang where you will take a left. It's 20 meters to the entrance. The opera house also has a small museum where you can see instruments, costumes and photos of famous performers.
 "Suzhou Pingtan Opera House & Theatre Museum")
 "Suzhou Pingtan Opera House & Theatre Museum")
 "Suzhou Pingtan Opera House & Theatre Museum")
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