Empty Stage in Qingdao Community Center Auditorium

Flat noon light bounces off pale walls, illuminating the empty stage of a Qingdao community center auditorium. Rows of folding chairs face the raised platform where a simple wooden lectern stands centered. Warm lamplight pools into the upper corners, against the cool, diffuse daylight flooding the main floor. The polished concrete floor shows faint scuff marks from recent setup. A small potted green plant sits on the left edge of the stage, its leaves catching the indirect light. Behind the stage, a heavy blue curtain hangs in deep vertical folds, unbroken and still. A red flag rests folded neatly on the lectern, its fabric creased from handling.