Acrobatics

China has a worldwide reputation for its gymnasts, who perform breathtaking routines that showcase their unnerving flexibility. Displays of balance often involve props such as chairs, plates, and bicycles. Several Beijing theaters put on shows – for instance, the Tianqiao Acrobatics Theater in Xuanwu; your hotel will be able to help with reservations.

Beijing Opera

With its incomprehensible plots, unfamiliar sounds, and performances lasting up to three hours, Beijing Opera is a hard-to-acquire taste. However, everyone should try it at least once (see Beijing Opera).

Cinema

The low cost and wide-spread availability of pirate DVDs means that most Beijingers stay home to watch their movies. Publicly screened films are subject to censorship, but a few venues and foreign cultural institutes host screenings of independent and classic films. For the latest movies, head to Wanda Cineplex.

Classical music

Take the chance to attend a Chinese orchestral performance if at all possible. Sections of unfamiliar plucked string, bowed string, woodwind, and percussion instruments compete for attention in swirling arrangements. The main venues are the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhong Shan Park and the National Grand Theater (see National Grand Theater).

Martial arts

The Shaolin monks from Songshan in Henan Province have gained an international reputation for their martial arts prowess. They perform regularly at the Li Yuan Theater.

Puppet theater

Shadow-puppet theater is an art form that has been performed more or less unchanged in China since the 3rd century AD. Shows employ many of the story lines and musical styles of Beijing Opera, while the puppets can be quite elaborate and colorfully dressed. The best place to catch a performance is at the China Puppet Art Theater (Anhua Xili, off Bei Sanhuan Lu).

Rock and pop

Beijing is the Chinese city with all the best tunes. It has a thriving music scene supported by a host of small music bars and clubs (see Top 10 Music Bars). Punk and metal thrive, but of far more interest are local folk rockers who mix ethnic instrumentation with Western genres.

Sports

Football’s big in Beijing. The local boys are Beijing Hyundai Guo’an, who play at the Workers’ Stadium. Tickets are easy to find: you can just show up at the stadium on game day. Second in popularity is basketball. Top team are Aoshen, who play at the Beijing Guang’an Gymnasium (Baiguang Lu; map C6).

Teahouses

You shouldn’t leave Beijing without visiting a teahouse. Tea is served with great ceremony, complete with smellings and recitations of Confucian sayings and poetry. The price of the tea varies greatly according to quality. For venues, see Top 10 Teahouses.

Theater

Beijing is home to several excellent theaters, where a few established troupes perform regularly. Canonical works such as Lao She’s “Teahouse” are increasingly supplemented by big-budget Western musicals such as “Rent” and “Aladdin on Ice”. See the English-language press for what’s on.

Beijing Bicycle

(Wang Xiaoshuai; 2001) A young bike messenger has his ride stolen and attempts to get it back.

Spring in a Small Town

(Fei Mu; 1948) A man returns home to find his childhood sweetheart married. Voted best Chinese film of all time.

Yellow Earth

(Chen Kaige; 1984) A Red Army soldier is posted to a desolate province to collect folk songs and finds misery.

Still Life

(Jia Zhangke; 2006) A powerful film about the upheaval resulting from the Three Gorges Project.

To Live

(Zhang Yimou; 1994) Tragedy and black humor in the tale of one family from the 1940s to the 1980s.

A Touch of Zen

(King Hu; 1969), Sword-play films, have been popular in China since the 1920s, but this revitalized the genre.

Raise the Red Lantern

(Zhang Yimou; 1991) Intrigue between the multiple wives of a wealthy overlord.

Farewell My Concubine

(Chen Kaige; 1993) The film that really put Chinese cinema back on the map.

Hero

(Zhang Yimou; 2002) Martial arts waltz that to date is the most successful film ever made in China.

Peacock

(Gu Changwei; 2005) The tribulations of a working-class family in a small rural town.