Let that sink in. Your local representatives, belting out centuries-old arias. In Cantonese.

Look, we spend a lot of time in this space calling out City Hall for wasteful spending, bloated bureaucracies, and performative nonsense. So when something comes along that's genuinely charming — and costs taxpayers approximately nothing — it's worth acknowledging.

Cantonese opera is one of San Francisco's most underappreciated cultural treasures. The art form has deep roots in the city's Chinese community, stretching back to the Gold Rush era, and it remains a living tradition in neighborhoods like Chinatown. Politicians participating in a cultural event like this isn't just good optics — it's a legitimate nod to a community that has shaped this city for over 170 years.

And it's a reminder that San Francisco's cultural scene, when it's organic and community-driven rather than subsidized into oblivion, is genuinely world-class. As one local put it while listing off the city's cultural gems, from the Roxie to the SF Playhouse to science fiction reading series: the options are "a complete steal" if you know where to look. The best stuff in this city often isn't the mega-funded institutional programming — it's the scrappy, community-rooted events that actually reflect the people who live here.

So here's a rare tip of the cap. No million-dollar grants required. No bloated arts commission overhead. Just politicians showing up, making themselves mildly vulnerable, and honoring a tradition that predates every single agency in City Hall.

More of this, please. Less of the $1.7 million public toilet variety of cultural investment. If our supervisors can learn Ming dynasty opera, surely they can learn fiscal restraint too.