A Chinese People's Liberation Army soldier stands in costume during a dress rehearsal for the opera Turandot in Beijing's Forbidden City August 27. Indian-born maestro Zubin Mehta and Chinese director Zhang Yimou will join forces in staging the opera. Over 1,000 participants are involved in the production, which will have eight open-air performances with seat prices ranging from $300 to $1230 for non-Chinese nationals, and around 400 yuan ($48) for Chinese.

NB/TAN/CLH/