What's on

Show of revenge

Marking the 150th anniversary of the death of French author Alexandre Dumas, a Chinese play adapted from his novel The Count of Monte Cristo with the same title premiered at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Nov 10, running through to Nov 18.It tells the story of Edmond Dantes, the first mate of the ship Pharaon, who is convicted of a crime he did not commit and imprisoned at Chateau d'If. He escapes with the help of a priest and succeeds in taking his long-planned revenge under the guise of the eponymous Count of Monte Cristo. Directed by Wang Xiaoying and scripted by Yu Rongjun, the play features Yu Yang as Edward Dantes (aka the Count of Monte Cristo), and actress Sun Li as Mercedes, fiancee of the young Dantes, a beautiful and kind woman.

7 pm, Nov 10 to 18. National Center for the Performing Arts, No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Art of the mother river

The Yellow River nourishes Chinese civilization. It's a cultural and spiritual symbol of the Chinese, who often call it the "mother river". Protecting the Yellow River and promoting its cultural values is at the heart of The Endless Life: The Narrative of the Yellow River, an exhibition at MOCA Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region through to Jan 31. Curated by China Artists Association chairman Fan Di'an, the exhibition features around 70 artists whose works address the diversity of the Yellow River's natural and cultural landscapes, and its importance to environmental protection and sustainable development.

10 am-5 pm, Tuesday-Sunday. 12 Hele Road, Xingqing district, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Three-style ballet

The National Ballet of China will stage Russian choreographer George Balanchine's classic three-act ballet, Jewels. Premiered in 1967, the ballet production is in three parts, Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds, which represent the artistry of the French, American and Russian schools of ballet. The National Ballet of China premiered the production in 2019 to mark the company's 60th birthday. The symphony orchestra of the company will play under the baton of its artistic director Zhang Yi, with a program of French composer Gabriel Faure's orchestral suites Pelleas et Melisande and Shylock, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 3 in D major.

7:30 pm, Nov 20 to 22. National Center for the Performing Arts, No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Tale of the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal, dating back to the 5th century BC, is the longest artificial waterway in the world. It consists of three sections built in different periods connecting Beijing and Hangzhou, in East China's Zhejiang province, unifying the powerful northern and the fertile southern regions in ancient China. Paddling for A Thousand Miles, an exhibition now underway at the National Museum of China in Beijing, navigates the excavation and development of the Grand Canal, which stretches some 2,700 kilometers. The exhibition running until March 1 shows paintings, documents, artifacts and models, and reviews how construction of the Grand Canal facilitated technological advancements in water conservancy and transportation management. The waterway helped boost the economy in regions it ran through and cultural communications between northern and eastern China. Through the exhibits viewers can glimpse the creativity and wisdom of ancient Chinese.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. Reservation needed. 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6511-6400.