Listings: Beijing

STAGE

Beijing Qu Opera's Beijinger is adopted from the representative work of playwright Laoshe and covers the life of an extended family in the 1930s. The income from sales of the opening performance on May 15 will be donated to relief efforts of the Sichuan earthquake. Popular in Beijing, Qu Opera is a young local opera that developed into a genre in the early 1950s.

7:30 pm, until May 25

Capital Theater, 22 Wangfujing Dajie

6524-9847

Bilingual play Jean-Michel Ribes will be staged by the Theatre Without Animal from France. The drama won the award for the best comedian scenario of the French Academy Moliere in 2001 and has been performed across France and the whole of Europe. It taps the philosophy of life of the middle-aged generation and the relationship between people in modern times.

7:30 pm, May 24

TNT Theater, Gongti Xilu, Dongcheng District

6417-7845

The National Ballet of China will perform a classic piece inspired by Chinese painting. Organized by the French Culture Center in China, the program includes three parts: The third act of classic ballet Sylvia, Entrelacs and Roland Petit's pas de deux. The second piece, Entrelacs, was created by French choreographer Kader Belarbi for the 2007 Croisement Festival. Belarbi got the inspiration for the piece when he saw some of Chinese artist Shi Tao's painting and calligraphy.

7:30 pm, May 23-25

Tianqiao Theater, Beiwei Lu, Xuanwu District

5166-2663, 5166-4511

DPRK opera, The Flower Girl, entices Beijing audiences with nostalgia. The film from the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) with the same title was projected in China 30 years ago and moved numerous people in the country. It extols the revolutionary vitality of the oppressed all over the world.

7:30 pm, May 31

Great Hall of the People, west of Tian'anmen Square

6608-1188

Poly Theater will host the drama Red Rose and White Rose. Adapted from Eileen Chang's novel of the same title, the latest version is directed by Tian Qinxin and performed by a young cast. This drama depicts Zhenbao's love story. There are two women in his life: His prim wife and a saucy mistress. Zhenbao describes them, respectively, as a white rose and a red rose in his life.

7:30 pm, May 20-24

14 Dongzhimen Nandajie

65065343 65065345 65001188

The Chinese Acrobatics Group, established in 1950, has toured more than 80 countries, won numerous international awards and has helped foster friendships between China and other nations. Its performance includes traditional acrobatics, a circus show, magic, old Beijing folk plays and more. The show blends music, dance, local opera and martial arts.

7:30 pm, daily

Tiandi Theater, Dongsi Shitiao, 100 m north of Poly Theater, Chaoyang District

6416-9893

CONCERTS

The Beijing Children's Chamber Orchestra stages classic symphony music and the children's chorus will feature theme melodies from domestic and overseas plays. Part of the box-office income from the two concerts will be used for disaster relief efforts in the Sichuan disaster.

7:30 pm, May 31, June 1

Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park, Northwest of Tian'anmen Square

6559-8285

Led by Kenneth W. Dye, the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra from the United States stages David Holsinger's modern music, Robert Russell Bennett's traditional American dance music and John Philip's march. Among the repertoires of the orchestra are traditional symphony, suite, march, jazz and pop music.

7:30 pm, May 23

Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhuajie, Xicheng District

6605-7006

Anne-Sophie Mutter and Norway's Trondheim Soloists Orchestra will jointly present classic chamber music. Violinist Mutter has moved audiences around the world. Mutter-style music covers music from classical to romantic and modern works.

7:30 pm, May 27-28

National Center for the Performing Arts, west of Tian'anmen Square

5883-6800

7:15 pm, May 25

300 Renmin Avenue, Shanghai Grand Theater

021-6372-8702

French musicians bring their performance in the French Casals Festival to Beijing. Chamber music including Haydn's Piano Trio, Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, Meyerbeer's Shepherd Boy, Faure's Piano Quartet No 1 and Piano Quintet, and Gounod's soprano aria, will be presented.

7:30 pm, May 29

Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park, Northwest of Tian'anmen Square

6559-8285

Exhibitions

The Artist Village of Songzhuang is holding a charity sale for Sichuan quake relief efforts. Sponsored by the artists who live in the village, the group welcomes all kinds of artwork from their peers. The proceeds from the sale will go to the China Red Cross for disaster relief. Similar activities are being held at the Three Shadows Photography Art Center.

9 am-6 pm, until May 28

Artist Village Gallery, 1 North of Rencun, Songzhuang, Tongzhou District

6959-6561 ext 8003

10 am-6 pm, until May 25

Three Shadows Photography Art Center, Caochangdi of Chaoyang District

6431-9063 ext 8000

This exhibition will see artist Roger Pfund painting on a new FIAT 500 car donated by the auto company, one of the sponsors of the show. The painted car will be shown during the exhibition and will be auctioned, with proceeds going to disaster relief. Pfund is known for his designs on major banknotes and documents in Europe, including the Swiss Franc, Euro, and Swiss passports and visas.

10:30 am -6 pm, until May 31

Today Art Museum, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District

5876-9690

An exhibition entitled General Survey of Hong Kong's Museums is ongoing at the Capital Museum. Through photographs and text material, the show displays the evolution and construction of more than 30 museums in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Art Museum, Hong Kong History Museum, Hong Kong Science Museum and Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall.

9 am-5 pm, until May 25

Capital Museum, 16 Fuxingmenwai Dajie, Xicheng District

6337-0491/2

Zhao Liang's video work and photography is a combination of photo, installation, projection, audio information and lighting equipment. The black-and-white images, though blurred and subjective, offer the sensitive touch of the artist toward society and reality.

10 am-6 pm, until May 25

Three Shadows Photography Art Center, 155 Caochangdi, Chaoyang District

6432-2663

Qiu Jie's paintings remind viewers of traditional fine brush works. A reminiscent flavor can be traced along with the images. Black and white express the effect of old photographs. In most of his works, landscape, figures, flowers and birds are executed in a harmonious way.

10 am-6 pm, until May 25

Arario Beijing, Jiuchang Art Complex, Beihuqu Lu, Anwai Beiyuan, Chaoyang District

5202-3800

Engravings by woman artist Lin Tianmiao highlight the composition of lines and make full use of the quality of material. In her latest series Focus and the previous one, Seeing Shadow, Lin employs silk, thread and synthetic material to form an overlapping effect. The background is blurred, with an image of urban architecture. Lin is versatile in her artistic creations, including easel work, installation and photo.

11 am-7 pm, until May 25

Long March Cultural Transmission Center, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District

6438-7107

The opening exhibition of the Legation Quarter greets visitors in a traditional courtyard. With its 8-m-high ceiling, the gallery suits various kinds of art exhibitions. The name of the exhibition, Where Are We, is a question the gallery first asks itself and a second one posed to contemporary art.

10 am-5 pm, May 24-July 15

Legation Quarter, 23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District

6522-4848

Although it is named Please No Touch, this exhibition emphasizes the interaction between the exhibits and the viewers by inviting people to approach and assemble the works. The sculptures are made of stainless steel. The fragmentary images are prototypes from the growing memory of the creator Xia Hang. Born in Shenyang of Liaoning province in 1978, Xia graduated from the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts in 2002 and currently studies in the sculpture department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

10 am-5 pm, until May 25

New Age Art Gallery, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District

8459-9282

Fifteen contemporary artists including Ai Weiwei, Li Luming and Sheng Qi entertain visitors with a joint show named Rest. Borrowing the concept of rest from music, the show aims to introspect on the past and plan for the future. Exhibits cover oil on canvas, sculpture, installation and other forms.

11 am-7 pm, until May 26

Red Star Gallery, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District

6437-0781

Wang Lifeng has engaged himself in the exploration of material. Starting from the 1980s, Wang has studied ancient characters and symbols, relating his creation to ancient culture. He employs silk, seal-cutting and wood pieces as his painting elements. He gets inspiration for his latest series from Qing landscapes.

9:30 am-6:30 pm, until May 30

China Visual Arts Center, Cuigezhuang, Chaoyang District

6432-6755

China Guardian Auctions will hold charity auctions for Sichuan earthquake victims in Beijing. Previews run from May 25-27 at the Kerry Center Hotel Beijing. To go under the hammer on the evening of May 27 will be more than 200 contemporary works of oil painting, sculpture, photography, and installations from some 150 artists, as well as donated paintings by art professors and art majors from the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Also to go on sale is a large oil painting (2 m high, 30 m long) being created by some 30 veteran artists including Ai Xuan, Yang Feiyun, and Wang Yidong, to depict the nation's concerted efforts against the disaster.

10 am -7 pm, May 25-27

Beijing Kerry Center Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu

6518-2315

Veteran ink artist Wang Mingming has spent about two decades interpreting famous classic Chinese poems and essays in the form of traditional Chinese painting.

The 56-year-old artist is presenting some 70 of his selected poetic landscapes and vivid portraits of historical figures at the Art Museum of the Beijing Painting Academy. The solo exhibition runs through June 8.

9 am-5 pm, until June 8

Art Museum of Beijing Painting Academy, 6 Building, Tuanjiehu Lu, Chaoyang District

6507-1993

The National Art Museum of China is holding two grand exhibitions of German art featuring 118 selected works, shown to Chinese viewers for the first time.

Living Landscape: A Journey through German Art offers visitors a glimpse of the 200 years of German landscape painting, covering the major masters of romanticism, expressionism, and realism.

With 56 works of evolving styles, Gerhard Richter Paintings: 1963-2007 reflects influential German masters' shifting focus from representational art to abstract art, and the persistent exploration of crucial questions in art over the past 45 years.

9 am -5 pm, until July 2

National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing

8403-3500

(China Daily 05/23/2008 page20)