A rather engaging film about small town China, it weaves a tale about the up's and down's of the members of a Chinese opera troupe - a classical one at that. Suffice it to say opera is as popular in China as it is in the West. So, without a major sponsor the company sits idle - but life goes on, and each member must make do. Rather like the life of an actor between gigs.It's charming and funny with a real feeling that this "is" a slice of life. The characters are developed and we get to know them. They are our friends, neighbors and the people with whom we grew up. I thought the story might develop into a typical soap opera becoming a Chinese "Terms of Endearment", but it rose above that.