Best bets

Opera Turandot

Date: Feb 15-19 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 160-880 yuan

Turandot depicts a love story of mystery. Turandot, though she is a most beautiful Chinese Princess, but coldhearted. And she stipulates that any prince seeking to marry her must answer three riddles - and if he fails, he will be sentenced to death. Three poor princes have unfortunately lost their lives. Calaf, the prince of Tartary who is in exile in China, smitten with the princess's beauty, determines to win her as his bride and answers all the questions correctly. However, Princess Turandot refuses to accept defeat. Calaf generously offers Turandot a riddle of his own: if she can learn his name by dawn, he will forfeit his life. Princess Turandot captures the father of the prince and his maid Li?? and extorts a confession from them by torture. Li?? kills herself to keep the secret. Li??'s death gives coldhearted Turandot a great shock. At dawn, Turandot still has no idea of the prince's name. Calaf makes Turandot forced to kiss him and melts her icy heart and finally tells her his real name. Yet Princess Turandot does not announce the prince's real name, on the contrary, she announces to the public that she will marry the prince and his name is Love.