July 15th, 2008
Worth the price of admission?
When an acquaintance here in Beijing called the other week and asked if I wanted to buy a ticket for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on August 7, I must admit I was intrigued. It’s arguably the hottest ticket in town and long sold-out (with countless numbers of tickets going gratis to sponsors and who-knows-who-else). Even though Stephen Spielberg is no longer involved, the ceremony is sure to be a spectacle. Then she told me the asking price: 40,000 yuan, or about $5,800, for a ticket that originally cost about $300. After a good chuckle, I passed. Turns out that was a bargain. Chinese media reports today that an opening ceremony pass purchased in the ticket lottery at $725 was sold second-hand for $30,500. Ticket madness.
