Grand Theatre
Impressive open air 3-tiered Grand Theatre built by Cixi in the Garden of Virtue and Harmony. Cixi was passionate about Beijing Opera, and had her own ensemble of nearly 400 eunuchs to perform at her whim. The three stages were connected by trapdoors, so that characters could swoop down or rise up from the "depths" of the underworld. There was even an underground water reservoir for so-called "wet" scenes. Sounds a bit like the Colloseum, doesn't it?