A devoted fan of the Backstreet Boys, my teenage daughter went to the band's gig on Monday at the Capital Gymnasium in Beijing.

At the end of the show she almost lost her voice a result of excitedly singing along with all of the Boys' songs.

She and her pals had only one disappointment some fans sitting behind them tried to force the girls to keep quiet and remain seated during the show, even when the Boys asked everyone to stand up and swing to their songs.

One man questioned whether the girls knew the "rules" and warned that he would take action if the girls didn't "behave" themselves.

I was aghast at the man's words. His threat was all too familiar more than three decades ago when society, embroiled in chaos and political movements, approved of public emotional displays only on a few official occasions, such as parades.

For entertainment, there was no more than a dozen model Peking operas and ballets, plus a few films featuring the war years or the good proletariat in struggles against their bad oppressors.

Growing up in those years, people of my age were told time and again to learn the "rules" and "behave" ourselves in order not to get into trouble. Reservation became the virtue; we had few chances to really let off steam.

But those years of silence and reticence are long gone. Whatever growing pains teenagers like my daughter may experience, parents and teachers always encourage them to speak out.

In this way, they also learn to listen to different opinions and tolerate varied emotional expressions from others, as long as those expressions do not harm others or infringe upon others' affairs.

Meanwhile, as the country opens itself wider and its cultural enterprises grow, we Chinese are able to enjoy a great variety of performing arts shows and sports events.

And of course, there are "rules" and these are very important to regulate people's conduct and enable everyone to have an equal opportunity for enjoyment in public venues for performing arts and sports.

Interestingly, different rules have evolved over the years for different forms of culture and sports entertainment.

During traditional Peking Opera shows, viewers demonstrate their delight by punctuating the arias with such loud hollers as "good," or "fantastic," but the right moments for the hollers are only known to the knowledgeable. It may take years for a beginner to learn when to do it.

Years ago, we Chinese only clapped our hands during ball games or track and field competitions. Today, many organize themselves into different cheering teams, waving flags, beating drums, or shouting hoorays in unison.

However, once we step into a theatre for a concert, we are introduced to such "conventions" as not applauding between movements when a symphony is being performed.

Similarly, only when China started to host international tennis tournaments did the so-called tennis fans discover that they must really "behave" themselves and keep really quiet before each serve.

Pop gigs, however, are totally different.

The best and most memorable pop shows have been those in which the singers and the fans joined in the choruses and shared the same catharsis that the good music and lyrics have brought about.

The reason Luciano Pavarotti has developed such a large following is not only because of his impeccably beautiful and emotional voice but also because he often motivated the audience members to sing along with him.

Society has become so open now that many have the open-mindedness to expose themselves to many styles and genres of arts, culture and sports and have learned the different rules. And above all, they have become accustomed to different ways of displaying emotions in public.

So along with a few thousand more fans, they sang to their hearts' content with the Boys, even though they might still be quieter and appear reserved to their counterparts elsewhere.

Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/19/2006 page4)