It was once the ritual location for the summer solstice of Emperor Jia Jing of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but, until Sunday, Ditan Park has been transformed into an outdoor music venue showcasing some of the country's best underground acts.

The soft Chinese ballads that normally play as elderly couples waltz among the trees are being drowned out by heavy metal, pop, folk and rock music as hundreds of fans descend on the park for the 2010 Max Star Music Festival.

The seven-day festival features 60 bands from across China, playing live to hundreds of revelers at a cost of 40 yuan a person on weekdays, rising to 80 yuan for the weekend shows.

"I'm completely amazed they were able to arrange this location," said Dutch festival-goer Broderick Heitbeink. "The park is absolutely beautiful, if a bit strange for a music festival."

But the contrast is exactly what drew the Max Star event coordinators to Ditan Park, said Chen Yi, a promoter for the festival.

"One of the biggest attractions for the festival is the venue itself," she said. "I think the contrast plays really well. The contrast between the young and the ancient, the rational and the subversive - it's the perfect message for our festival."

Set in the center of the park, on a platform once used by Emperor Jia Jing, the stage is engulfed by ancient walls with chipped paint and surrounded by Chinese relics dating back to the 1500s.

The festival is part of the Yonghe Art Festival, an ongoing series of creative events put on by the Dongcheng district government. It was only because of the backing from the local authorities that they were allowed to use the venue, Chen said.

"We were extremely excited and are extremely grateful," she said.

While attendees may be left wide-eyed at the spectacle, the raucous rock show is not music to everyone's ears.

A resident of the area and a frequenter of the park, 60-year-old Wang Xiaomei, said while it's interesting to see a music festival in the park, the noise is too much for her.

"Personally, I'm not against [the festival], but it's too loud and it affects our life, especially in the evening," she said. "We old people like our quiet."

Though Wang said she has yet to make a formal complaint, a few local residents have aired their grievances through the proper channels.

"We've received a few complaints about the noise, especially in the first few days," Chen said.

However, after promising to end the music at 10 pm, quite early for a rock concert, and offering free tickets to residents concerned about the noise, Chen said they have received fewer complaints.

"Most people, young and old, see the show as a good thing. Something interesting and new that combines China's vast history with its rising music scene," Chen said.