Kunqu Opera originated in Suzhou. Through the efforts of generations of artists, who worked on performance, stage design, costumes, music, scripts and libretti, it gradually became a highbrow art form favored by the ruling classes and the literati, and came to exert a deep influence on other regional operas.

The singing is intricate and ornate, the recitation refined and cultured, the performances marked by exquisite subtlety, and the dance imbued with ethereal grace. Coupled with its stage design, it occupies a pinnacle in traditional Chinese theater.

Visiting the Humble Administrator's Garden one night, Deng, the writer who moved to Suzhou a few years ago, watched The Sweet Dream in the Garden, an excerpt from The Peony Pavilion.

"It's for tourists to get a glimpse of the classical art. But if you want to watch a Kunqu Opera, go to theaters like the one in the China Kunqu Opera Museum in Suzhou," he says.