Laoshe Teahouse

     Beijing's cultural scene is rich and colorful and consists of all kinds of performances and international shows and exhibitions. Peking opera, attributed as the quintessence of Chinese culture, has been around for more than 200 years. Its gallant costumes, melodious singing style and transforming face-painting impress its audience profoundly. The well-known Chang'an Grand Theater, Huguang Assembly Hall, Laoshe Teahouse and China National Opera House stage traditional opera performances regularly. Beijing has vibrant nightlife too and bars streets at Houhai and Sanlitun are among the favorite nightspots.

     Quadrangle courtyard is the main residential architecture of the old Beijing. The narrow alleys formed between the walls of these courtyards buildings are the famous old Beijing Hutong (alleys). The Shishahai Alley tour is a special treat where tourists are transported on tricycles equipped with ding-donging wind-bells, and traveling down the winding alleys and passing by those enchanting courtyards will truly let you experience the charm of old Beijing.

Lao She Tea House
     Founded in 1988, Lao She Tea House was named after Mr. Lao She, a famous artist in China, and Tea House, one of his famous novels. With service area of more than 2,600 square meters, the teahouse provides an antique-flavor, Beijing-styled environment, where you can watch wonderful performances by celebrities from folk arts and drama on any given day while enjoying famous tea, palace snacks as well as traditional Beijing flavor state. Numerous celebrities and more than 2 million Chinese and foreign tourists have visited Lao She Teahouse since it was founded. It has been a window for exhibiting the national culture and a bridge that connects China with the world.

     Address: No.3, Qianmen West Street, Xuanwu District, Beijing

Beijing Poly Theatre

     Situated in the centre of Beijing, Baoli Theatre is a bright pearl in Beijing culture market. Since the first official foreign performance in 1991, the theatre has received 600 arts groups at home and abroad, and organized about 4000 performances.

     Address: No.14, Dongzhimennan Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Chang'an Grand Theater
     Built in 1937, Chang'an Grand Theater is located in Guanghua Changan Building, north on East Changan Street. As a modern theater with top quality, luxury and comfort, it perfectly embodies traditional styles, especially that of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and modern architectural art. Up to 800 people can be seated in this classic-oriented theater decorated with elegant red wood tables, luxurious VIP boxes and comfortable chairs. Its highlights, the multi-functional stage, the advanced sound and light facilities are computer controlled, suitable for all kinds of performances.

     There are various types of seats to choose: the tea house in the front area, the rowed seats in the back area, and the VIP box, common box and rowed seats on the second floor. Photos of Beijing Opera masters and theatrical costumes for different roles are exhibited on the second floor of the lobby. There is calligraphy, facial makeup, painting and video sold on the first floor. The highlight of Chang'an Grand Theater is the customized operas designed for the better understanding by foreign tourists. Collaborating with performance bodies like Beijing Opera Company, Chang'an Grand Theater offers "travel opera" for foreigners, which consists of maximum amount of roles in Beijing Opera and is easy to understand. The ingenuity of playwrights and directors, together with sophisticated settings, stage props, lights and sound, embodies the essential spirit of conventional Beijing Opera, best exemplified by The Legend of the White Snake, which made its debut in 1997 and is highly appreciated by foreign audiences. Synchronous subtitles in both Chinese and English are provided so that the audience may know the plot better. The daily show of travel opera in Chang'an Grand Theater has been an indispensable attraction in Beijing.

     Address: No.7, Jianguomennei Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Chaoyang Theatre
     Chaoyang Theatre, founded in 1984, appointed as "Performing Fixed Place for Tourist" in 1986 and named as the advanced collectivity of national culture in 2001, is mainly a place for acrobatics performance. The theatre was used in the respects of singing, dancing, dramas, and other big performance for guests and tourists at home and abroad in the middle and latter half of the 1980s. After the period, acrobatics became the main performance in this theatre. After more than ten years characteristic management, Chaoyang theatre is a famous acrobatics brand in Beijing.

     Address: No.36, Dong San Huan Bei Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing.

Tianqiaole Tea Garden


     Situated on Jia No.1 Beiwei Road Xuanwu District, the former Tianle Theatre, founded in 1933, Tianqiaole Tea Garden was rebuilt and opened again in 1992. Travelers here can see the culture of old Beijing common people and the view of the poem as follows: "Wine flags, operas, drums constituted Tianqiao City, which made a lot of travelers not want to go home".

     Address: Jia No.1, Beiwei Road, Xuanwu District

Huguang Guild Hall

     Founded by Beijing residents coming from Hunan and Hubei Provinces, Huguang Guild Hall provides a place for lodging and gathering of fellow townsmen. It has a history of over 190 years traced back to 1807 when investments were gathering for its foundation. At that time, its premier role was to host students who came to Beijing to attend the Royal Exam and officials who were waiting for their nomination. Located at the commercial area in the south of Xuanwu District, it had convenient traffic and was thus selected to host weddings and banquets. It was one of centers of political and social life in the Late Qing Dynasty, where authoritative officials and average persons had fun together, dining, chatting and watching Beijing Opera staged by famous actors.

     It had been renewed in 1990 and the Grand Theater opened to the public on May 8 1996. Some top actors like Mei Baojiu and Zhang Xuejin attended its debut. From then on, it has been a major stage of Beijing Opera. In 1997, Huguang Guild Hall was opened to the public as a whole and renamed Beijing Museum of Traditional Opera.

     It is the only guild hall owning a theater and the first guild hall renewed and opened in line with its original layout.

     Address: No.3, Hufangqiao Road, Xuanwu District, Beijing

Houhai Bar Street

     Address: Shichahai area, Xicheng District, Beijing