Beijing, as it likes to project right to the back row, is the cultural capital of China. Pretty big claim, but for performance arts and classical music, it’s a dead cert. There are dozens of theatres and concert halls across the city, from small, traditional (or, let’s say, ‘tourist friendly’) Peking opera theatres through to striking new celebrations of performance prowess. You can’t politicise the stage much more than putting a performing arts centre on Tiananmen Square.
5 Top Places to Culture Up
While the shows themselves come and go (big ones at the time of writing include War Horse and Phantom of the Opera), we’ve got the lowdown on the best venues in town thanks to the expert insight of Nancy Pellegrini who’s been writing about the performing arts scene for over a decade as Stage Section editor for both Time Out Beijing and Time Out Shanghai.
It’s not easy to combine the different elements of a great venue – acoustics, ticket prices, show quality, accessibility – but with some complex algorithms we’ve arrived at a ‘Jazz Hands’ theatricality rating for each venue listed.
1. The Forbidden City Concert Hall
The Forbidden City Concert Hall (FCCH) is right there inside the perimeter wall of Beijing’s Forbidden City, or Palace Museum as it’s also known. Surrounded by lovely gardens (that are completely unlit at night), the hall is a plain box of a building until you push past the ticket touts and get through the bland lobby into the hall itself. You’re immediately surrounded by high quality everything: the staging, lighting, sound systems – even seats. Unlike many buildings in China, it is well maintained and you can feel it, the whole place imbuing every performance with a layer of professionalism. And they do great shows, especially for classical and choral pieces, though we’ve also seen Irish accordionists.
Pellegrini’s take:
‘The FCCH is the best concert hall in town, making you feel relaxed as soon as you enter the gates. Get there an hour early to enjoy the park. It has the best classical music programming in Beijing. Try the Summer Gateway to Music where you can see top names with tickets from between just 10 to 100RMB, making it great place to experiment with new types of music. Plus they have the best ushers.’
Jazz Hands Rating: 4/5
See for yourself: Xichang’an Jie (inside Zhongshan Park in the southwest corner of the Forbidden City complex, entrance west of the Tiananmen Gate) Tiananmen, Dongcheng district. 东城区西长安街中山公园内
2. The National Centre for Performing Arts
Generally referred to as ‘The Egg’ (specifically ‘duck egg’ in Chinese) because even the ‘NCPA’ is a bit of a mouthful and, oh, because it looks like a massive egg lying on its side in a bowl of water, the National Centre for Performing Arts aims for the big wow factor. Just off Tiananmen Square – and despite a surprisingly sheltered garden area – it feels somewhat exposed. Having to go through airport security to get in is an unexpected novelty. Tip: once through security, look up at the ceiling of the long corridor – it’s actually glass, and that water surrounding the egg is right overhead. When you emerge inside the magnificent dome itself, designed by French architect Paul Andreu, you’ll discover it’s actually a complex of three theatres with shops and cafes. The halls are comfortable with more leg room than you’ll find anywhere else. Shows cover dance, ballet, drama, opera and experimental pieces. It’s a good place to catch shows that have been a hit abroad and are on tour.
Pellegrini’s take:
‘The NCPA plays a really important role in educating people about the arts. Take a tour or sit at one of its cafes to enjoy a free recital. The building itself is highly impressive and there really is something for everyone with Cultural Revolution era operas through to shows invited over from the Edinburgh Festival.’
Jazz Hands Rating: 5/5
See for yourself: 2 Xi Chang’an Jie, Xicheng district (perhaps most easily accessed from Tiananmen West subway station which has direct exit into the centre). 西城区长安街2号
3. Imperial Granary
This 600 year venue old shows a 600 year old opera called the Peony Pavilion, a magical love story. It’s a very Beijing night, starting with a Peking duck meal in one room, then moving through into the theatre for the abridged (and subtitled) highlights of the opera. Housed in what is said to be China’s oldest granary dating back to the Ming dynasty, the Imperial Granary now offers a visitor-friendly culture binge on Fridays and Saturdays, 7.30pm, with tickets rangin from 380 to 1,980 yuan. Check out this five minute video for a flavor.
Jazz Hands Rating: 3/5
See for yourself: Huangjia Liangcang, Nanxincang, 22 Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng district. 东城区东四十条22号南新仓皇家粮仓
4. Penghao Theatre
Whoa! You just went past it! At the end of an easily missed and narrow alleyway deep in the hutongs you’ll find the preeminently pleasant Penghao Theatre. The super cute cafe bar in the old part of the building provides the most accommodating waiting area in town, then through to the thoroughly modern theatre with all the equipment you could wish for. There’s an emphasis on experimental works, but don’t let that put you off.
Whatever you choose to see, you’ll feel culturally nourished just by visiting the bar. Or make a day of it with some time on the roof terrace and a browse through their library.
Pellegrini’s take:
‘Penghao Theatre is really underrated as far as programming and atmosphere. It gets big names and runs workshops connected with the shows. It integrates theatre into your lifestyle – have dinner there before the show, a coffee after, there are places around for more drinks. It’s the sort of theatre that should be supported.’
Jazz Hands Rating: 4/5
See for yourself: 35 Dongmianhua Hutong (off Nanluoguxiang), Dongcheng district. 东城区东棉花胡同35号
5. Yugong Yishan
Now for something completely different. Yugong Yishan is a live music venue – what the kids are calling a ‘live house’. The smoking ban has prompted a welcome transformation, but the music is as good as ever. Yugong gets good international acts (visas permitting), but also puts a lot of effort into finding and showcasing up-and-coming local bands. If you’re not into punk, indie, pop or even hip-hop, then the building itself is magnificent. After all, it’s not every music venue that’s housed in a Republican-era government building.
Jazz Hands Rating: 2/5
See for yourself: 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu (in the Former Site of the Duan Qirui Government), Dongcheng district. 东城区张自忠路3-2号段祺瑞执政府旧址西院
Top Tip
When it comes to theatres, seat numbers are completely different in China to other countries. You may wonder why the three tickets you bought are for seats 7, 9 and 11 rather than 7, 8, 9. Do not panic. Seats start from one end of the row as odd numbers, then in the middle switch to even numbers through to the other end.
If you come over all theatrical when on a trip to Beijing and need anymore help, get in touch with us and we’ll set something up!