Beijing, China — Activities
Beijing Culture
Many Chinese art forms date back centuries but most struggled to survive during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Artists were organized into associations, which meant that Mao Zedong's Communist Party controlled every aspect. Traveling theater, music and dance groups were created to project the Party's message to the masses via carefully managed stage plays and ideological films. Plays written before the 1950s, films with human interest and the Beijing Opera were suppressed, and their creators persecuted. Now many pre-Cultural Revolution art forms are being revived and sit alongside Beijing's strong contemporary music, arts and literary cultures.
Western influences have also been embraced to transform traditional Chinese art forms into contemporary theater. A recent development has been a fashion for Chinese translations of Western plays, and home-grown dramatists are experimenting with foreign styles, such as Absurdist theater, or emulating influential playwrights, such as Samuel Beckett. In addition, Western music and dance is now performed, and the city often receives visits from international acts.
Music: The Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Bei Xinhua Jie, Xicheng District (tel: (10) 6605 7006), just off Xi Chang'an Jie, is dedicated to classical music, with regular concerts by Beijing and other Chinese and international orchestras. Beijing Opera is still very popular and the best place to see it is Zhengyici Theater, 220 Xiheyan Dajie, Xuanwu district (tel: (10) 8315 1649), a short walk from Heping Men subway station. The futuristic glass-domed National Center for the Performing Arts, 2 Xichang'an Dajie, Xicheng District (tel (010) 6655 0000; www.chncpa.org), opened in 2008 behind Tiananmen Square and offers a varied selection of classical music concerts, plays and dance.
Theater: Spoken drama was only introduced into Chinese theaters this century. The Beijing People's Art Theater (in the Capital Theater), 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District (tel: (10) 6524 6789; www.bjry.com) became its best-known home and, before the Cultural Revolution, staged European plays with a clear social message. The last decade has seen a turnaround. Reassembled in 1979, this theater established its reputation with a performance of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.
Teahouses: A crop of teahouses have recently reappeared in the capital that show a variety of Beijing Opera, martial arts and acrobatics, and serve tea, snacks and drinks. The best is The Bookworm Café, Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Jie, Chaoyang District (tel: (10) 6586 9507; www.chinabookworm.com), which also hosts regular talks by writers and artists and an annual literary festival each March. Traditional theater, such as story-telling to musical accompaniment, magic shows and acrobatics, takes place daily at the Laoshe Teahouse, Da Wancha Building, 3 Qianmen Xi Jie, Xuanwu District (tel: (10) 6303 6830; www.laosheteahouse.com).
Acrobatics: The most popular venue is the Tianqiao Acrobatics Theater, 95 Tianqiao Jie, Beiwei Dong Lu, Xuanwu District (tel: (10) 6303 7449). There are also nightly shows at the Chaoyang Theater (also known as the Heaven & Earth Theater), 36 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District (tel: (10) 6507 2421; www.bjcyjc.com).
Film: Beijing cinemagoers have moved on from a seemingly insatiable appetite for kung fu movies to watching a new wave of thoughtful, gritty movies by younger film-makers, as well as historic big-budget blockbusters. Foreign films are mainly dubbed and carefully censored by the authorities before going on general release, and a constant supply of Hong Kong movies and Korean rom-coms is readily available. For blockbuster movies, head to UME International Cineplex, 44 Kexueyuan Nan Lu, Haidian District (tel: (10) 8211 5566; www.bjume.com). East Gate Cinema, Building 8, East Gate Plaza, Dongzhongjie, Donzheng District (tel: (10) 6418 1188; www.dhyc.cn) has a good variety of local releases.
Beijing is the center for China's film industry and its appeal has risen off a plethora of international hit films in recent years - and the spectacular 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony masterminded by movie director Zhang Yimou. Zhang Yang's 1999 film, Shower, is set in an old Beijing bathhouse threatened by developers who want to turn it into a shopping complex. The film epitomizes the contemporary Chinese tension between tradition and commerce. Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine (1993) is a stunning epic spanning half a century of modern Chinese history and is about the relationship between two friends growing up in the world of Beijing Opera. An extremely funny film set in modern-day Beijing is Sorry Baby (1999) directed by Feng Xiao Gang, about a feud between a wealthy businessman and his driver. Wang Xiaoshuai's 2001 hit, Beijing Bicycle, features some masterful cinematography that earned it the Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival. More recently, Chinese movies have made a bid for swashbuckling, international blockbuster status and, although the budgets are large, action unyielding and the glamour quotient high.
Beijing Tours
Bus tours
The Beijing Tourism Administration (tel: (10) 6522 2991; www.cits.net) offers full-day city tours with free pick-ups from many hotels. The 'Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven excursion' lasts about 8 hours. The Tourist Information Center & Cycle China office, opposite the east gate of Jingshan Park, Xicheng District (tel: (10) 6402 5653; www.cyclechina.com), arranges walking tours with English-speaking guides and bicycles for the more adventurous independent visitor.
Other tours
Most hotels offer tours and there are few better options at present. Hotels are the best source of information and most have their own dedicated tour bookers.
