Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji and other leaders watched a Beijing Opera performance on night of December 30 in celebration of the coming new year.

Held inside the Zhongnanhai government compound, the evening party included both classic and contemporary works of the traditional art, which were presented by top Beijing opera performers of the country.

The performance won enthusiastic applause from the audience of about 1,000 and hearty congratulations from the senior officials.