US first lady Michelle Obama was joined by US middle school students and their teachers as she watched a Peking Opera performance in the Summer Palace in Beijing on 22, March.
Mrs Obama and her mother and two daughters arrived at the opera stage inside the 126-year-old garden around 2:40 pm and watched a performance of Peking Opera with a monkey-themed story.
The Summer Palace landscape, consisting mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, with much of it under water. The area's 70,000 square meters of land features a variety of palaces, gardens and other ancient-style architectural structures. Well known for its large and priceless collection of cultural relics, it was among the first group of historical and cultural heritage sites in China to be placed under special state protection.