Art beat in May

Shanghai

Inside Out

French artist JR is presenting his photo installations at Power Station of Art in Shanghai, featuring his TED-award-winning project Inside Out. People have been invited to shoot their pictures and have their portraits printed on the outer walls of public buildings. These poster-like images gradually join the local landscape, until they naturally fade away. Every Inside Out initiative is documented, archived and exhibited on the project's website. Nearly 200,000 posters have been printed and shipped to more than 110 countries before the show in Shanghai.

9 am-5 pm, until June 15. Power Station of Art, 200 Huayuangang Lu (Road), Huangpu district, Shanghai. 021-3110-8550.

Videos focus on women

Contemporary Chinese video artist Yang Fudong will present his new creation New Women, a five-channel video installation. Commissioned by the Toronto International Film Festival, it premiered in 2013 to high acclaim. New Women will also be shown at Art Basel this summer. The work examines and suggests how women-and ideas about women-have embodied China's search for modernity over the past century. It is a tribute to nascent Chinese cinema, and also a depiction of the ideal woman in each person's heart.

10 am-6 pm, May 10-June 16. ShanghART H-Space, Building 18, 50 Moganshan Road, Putuo district. 021-6276-3275.

Beijing

Ancient opera

Elements from Hanju Opera, one of the ancient local operas in China with a history of 400 years, are being exhibited in Beijing. More than 20 items from the genre, including costumes, accessories, literature and stage sets, are on display. A 200-year-old wooden statue of Mi Yingxian, one of the opera's most famous performers in the late 18th century, is being shown to the public for the first time. Until May 25, actors from the Wuhan Hanju Opera House will also perform at the exhibition.

The exhibition will run until June 20. National Center for the Performing Arts, No 2 West Chang'an Jie (Avenue), Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Don't miss these delightful dragons

Fire-breathing dragons from DreamWorks' 2010 film, How to Train Your Dragon, will come to life and soar near the National Stadium in Beijing. The spectacular audio-visual show was inspired by the movie, which grossed nearly $500 million at the global box office. It will have 13 immense dragons, some up to 14 meters tall, and Viking warriors played by an international cast of circus artists and acrobatic actors. Created by DreamWorks Animation, the show has toured Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada.

7:30 pm, May 30-June 29. National Stadium, 18 Beichendong Lu (Road), Chaoyang district, Beijing. 4008-183-333, 010-6406-8888.

-Chen Nan