The Shanghai Grand Theater on Thursday became the first theater in China to get on the global ticket booking system on the Internet.

A girl from the French Consulate in Shanghai made the first test of the Internet ticket-booking. She logged on the Internet to order a ticket of the ballet show Giselle, which will be presented by the Paris National Opera Ballet in the Shanghai theater in late September.

She input the number of her bank account and password, and confirmed on her choice of the ticket price of 2,000 yuan (US$256). Then she got a ticket number, which will be her voucher to go to the show.

The e-booking service was jointly launched by the theater and the China Unionpay E-Payment Service Co. Ltd.

Deputy manager of the theater Qian Shijin said that e-booking is rarely offered anywhere in the country. Most audiences still have to wait in long queues for theater tickets.

He said that theaters in China should not only upgrade their facilities, but also their services to keep pace with modern world theaters.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2005)