A Chinese Kunqu opera classic: Peach Blossom Fan 1699

昆曲：孔尚任《桃花扇》
A love story between a high-end escort and a promising young scholar that was complicated by dynastic loyalty, personal political positions, etc. (Couldn't think of a Roman equivalent.) Happened at the end of the 17th century, when the Ming dynasty was taken over by the Qing dynasty.
I first saw the performance about 12 years ago in Nanjing. The singing, music, dancing, and the plot were all superb. 大约是97年或98年时在南京的兰苑剧场看过石小梅、胡锦芳的版本。虽然不是唯美的青春版，但是词曲清丽、唱作俱佳，感人至深。《桃花扇》不是普通的才子佳人故事，胜在气节二字。胡老师的李香君柔中见刚，凌然令人起敬。连看两场，一直不能忘怀。


【鴈过声】萧然，美人去远，重门锁，云山万千，知情只有闲莺燕。尽着狂，尽着颠，问着他一双双不会传言。熬煎，才待转，嫩花枝靠着疏篱颤。
【南鲍老催】想当日猛然舍抛，银河渺渺谁架桥，墙高更比天际高。书难捎，梦空劳，情无了，出来路儿越迢遥。

KFCs outside the States

We saw McDonald's in many city centers in Europe. In Milan, for example, there is a McDonald's right opposite to the grand Cathedral. While we were driving in Germany and Austria, we loved to stop by McDonald's, not because of the food but because of the free high-speed internet it offered. But we didn't see a single KFC in the European places which we visited. In contrast, KFC has flourished in China, and has become seriously localized. The Chinese KFCs sell, among others, boiled sweet corns, (Catonese style) rice soup with cured eggs (known as the thousand-year-old eggs) and pork (皮蛋瘦肉粥), and fried twisted dough sticks (油条)。The KFC versions of these things are pretty good. Even the traditional KFC stuffs like the spicy chicken wings and fried chicken legs taste way better than those in the American KFCs. The Chinese KFCs are not cheap at all, but cater to the (upper) middle class families and the trendy youth. The dining atmosphere, therefore, feels quite different.