China’s Great Hall of the People, home to its government, was converted to a giant theatre to host the dance sensation Riverdance. “The vast stage, which is better known as the platform for speeches by Communist party leaders, has been filled with about 100 dancers, musicians and production staff tapping, drumming and fiddling out jigs and ballads from the other side of the planet. In the audience, a full house of almost 7,000 people sit at the desks usually reserved for legislators.”