ABSTRACT
One of the most popular theme restaurants is an enormous Jingju (Beijing opera) restaurant, where patrons can dine on the main floor or in private-room balconies, savoring traditional Beijing dishes while watching scenes from beloved classic plays. In addition, they circulated in the form of pocket-size graphic books and posters, as well as through objects depicting the main characters, such as the figurines Auntie Zhao described from her wedding. The scenes from model plays are the final phase of the show at Red Classic, they come after the singing of revolutionary songs, the group chants of 'Long Live Chairman Mao!' and the loyalty dances on stage and in the aisles. Patrons act out the performative pleasures of life during the Cultural Revolution: songs, slogans, dances, and opera arias, without resurrecting its pain. These performances happen in a controlled environment that recalls the highly theatrical quality of everyday life during the Cultural Revolution.
