Listings

Shows

Mozart! - Original Production from VBW Austria

Date: Dec 17 - 7:15 pm

Venue: Shanghai Culture Square

Price: 80-1,280 yuan

Mozart! The musical by the dream team of Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay throws light on the world's most famous composer both as a historical human and as a legendary figure of classical music. Mozart is presented here as an artist of exceptional talent who, despite his gift - or perhaps because of it - struggles with life's simplest challenges. Mozart! - a coming-of-age drama - tries to show the man behind the cult, the calices and the kitsch that have sprung up around the historical human.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Trio Window

Date: Dec 17 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 100-200 yuan

The Trio Window has been gradually formed by the clarinettist Damien Bachmann who already worked quite regularly with the cellist Estelle Revaz. Estelle herself played already a lot of duo repertoire with the pianist Christian Chamorel. "Window" is a kind of reference to the "wind" instrument that is the clarinet as well as a metaphor for the window itself, a metaphor dear to many painters in the sense that the window invites the viewer to escape toward distant and poetic horizons.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

NCPA Opera The Dawns Here Are Quiet

Date: Dec 21-25 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 100-880 yuan

The opera The Dawns Here Are Quiet was commissioned last year by the National Centre for the Performing Arts to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the world anti-fascist war. It is based on the former USSR writer Boris Lvovich Vasilye's novel with the same title. The novel tells, in a realistic way with a romantic mood, the story of five female soldiers fighting invading German troops in the World War II, and eulogizes their sacrifice and optimism.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

NCPA Drama Hamlet

Date: Dec 17-22 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 100-600 yuan

This interpretation of the world-famous tragedy will be directed by Chen Xinyi. And the main crew including stage designer Wang Jing, lighting designer Hu Yaohui, costume designer Mo Xiaomin and makeup artist Sun Xiaohong would pave the way for its arrival. NCPA even invites Wang Wenwei, Canadian Chinese dancer, who will be image designer. In this way, audiences will be blessed with the honor of seeing an all-star cast - Tong Ruixin, Wang Shihuai, Kai Li, Guan Dongtian and Zhu Jie as well as artists of NCPA Drama Ensembles such as Zhao Ling and Luo Wei. In addition, Yang Shaohua and his son Yang Yi would play cameo roles. Such effort of them all is to make Hamlet a successful salute to Shakespeare.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

NCPA Children Opera Effendi

Date: Dec 22-28 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 180-300 yuan

Effendi has been a famous legend throughout the Islam world. Even in China, he is a household name. And to the masses, Effendi is an embodiment of wisdom. He always shows enormous compassion for the lower class. At the same time, he scoffs at those greedy, cunning and mercenary guys. In this way, he can set things right and establish justice for the plebs.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

2016 Budweiser Storm Festival Shenzhen

Date: Dec 17-18 - 2 pm

Venue: Shenzhen Media Group Longgang Broadcast TV Center

Price: 380-1,180 yuan

After making impact in 4 cities nationwide this year, the Actaurians have decided to make one last stop in Shenzhen this December 17 and 18. With a massive stage, state of the art technology, and some of the biggest artists in the world scheduled to perform, there's no doubt the Actaurians saved the best for last. Shenzhen, your time has come. Finally, this half-year festival is going to welcome its big annual finale in Shenzhen, and the lineup is released today. Let's take a look how this roof-raising "STORM" will present its perfect closure.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Wiener Johann Strauss Walzer Orchester New Year's Concert in Guangzhou

Date: Dec 25 - 8 pm

Venue: Guangdong Performing Arts Center

Price: 100-880 yuan

Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester (Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna. The orchestra was formed under the auspices of Professor Oskar Goger and the ORF (Austrian Radio) in 1966. Eduard Leopold Strauss, nephew of Johann Strauss III, who carried on the Strauss dynasty musical tradition into the 20th century, was the orchestra's first conductor. The primary aim of this orchestra is to recreate the touring Strauss Orchestra of the days of Johann Strauss I, who was the founder of the Strauss musical dynasty. The members of the orchestra were selected from leading Vienna orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Radio Orchestra so that its quality would be first-rate.

Contact: 400-610-3721

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine 2017 New Year Concert in Beijing

Date: Dec 23 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Concert Hall

Price: 100-880 yuan

Formed by the Council of Ministers of Ukraine in November of 1918, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is considered to be one of the finest symphony orchestras in Eastern Europe. Its first conductor was Oleksander Horilyj. Natan Rachlin was the Artistic Director of the Orchestra from 1937 until 1962. The NSOU was entrusted with the premier performances of the works of the following composers: Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Aram Khatchaturian, Boris Lyatoshynsky, Valentyn Silvestrov, Myroslav Skoryk, and Evgen Stankovych. The Orchestra has gained international recognition over a remarkably short period of time. After an appearance in Moscow, Dmitri Shostakovich commented: This orchestra has as distinguished a group of performers as one would be likely to find anywhere. The ensemble of the orchestra is of the highest level. In addition, the various soloists and instrumental groups within the Orchestra play exceptionally and complement each other beautifully - as would the greatest of the world's symphony orchestras.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Tetris in Shanghai

Date: Dec 17-18 - 10:30 am/5 pm/7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Himalayas Art Center

Price: 80-380 yuan

Based on a popular video game in which players create order out of chaos, Tetris swaps blocks for bodies in a performance space. Four dancers flip over, slide under and pile on each other, stacking in various configurations, frequently defying gravity. As their interlocking shapes unfold, we learn about making connections and how to fit in with others while staying true to oneself. A highly participatory and interactive performance in which audiences can join and play. Tetris has been an international hit with young audiences, and in January 2016 won the People's Choice Victor Award at the International Performing Arts for Youth showcase in Montreal.

Contact: 400-610-3721

NT Live No Man's Land in Shanghai

Date: Dec 25 - 7 pm

Venue: Shanghai Drama Art Center

Price: 150 yuan

Following their hit run on Broadway, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart return to the West End stage in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land, broadcast live to cinemas from Wyndham's Theatre, London. One summer's evening, two aging writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet in a Hampstead pub and continue their drinking into the night at Hirst's stately house nearby. As the pair become increasingly inebriated, and their stories increasingly unbelievable, the lively conversation soon turns into a revealing power game, further complicated by the return home of two sinister younger men. Also starring Owen Teale and Damien Molony, don't miss this glorious revival of Pinter's comic classic. The broadcast will be followed by an exclusive Q & A with the cast and director Sean Mathias.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Activities & nightlife

Emperio Christmas Bazaar

Date: Dec 17 - 11 am

Venue: Mandarin Pro Institue

Price: Free Entrance

Mandarin Pro, a leading school in Beijing for professionals pursuing mandarin education, has organized a lovely and cozy bazaar with hand made creations, mulled wine and fun workshops for kids (or the child at heart). This special occasion is a great chance for you to find out all that Mandarin Pro has to offer. While shopping for those last minute gifts, take a moment to chat with the teachers and students of Mandarin Pro.

Contact: 135-8182-6014

Family value exhibitions

Date: Through end of the year

Venue: Beijing Youth Theater

Price: free

Beijing Women's Federation and several government departments of Beijing have jointly kicked off an event lasting throughout the end of the year to promote healthy modern Chinese family values. The themed photography and calligraphy exhibitions, with thousands of items, are now being displayed in Beijing Youth Theater in Xicheng district, Beijing. The exhibits including photos showing the love between family members, calligraphy works demonstrating family mottoes, and drawings of family trees.

Contact: 400-622-8228

Christmas Festival at Minzu Hotel

Date: Dec 9-25

Venue: Minzu Hotel, Beijing

Price: 158 per head for lunch, 188 per head for dinner, except 388 per head on Christmas Eve.

The Minzu Hotel, Beijing has launched its annual Christmas Festival at its Coffee Mill, which will last two weeks until Dec 25 and features authentic American homestyle delicacies. Throughout the festival, diners are encouraged to stage performance on a stage within the restaurant, and on each Friday night during the festival, there will be cooking show studded with the hotel's celebrity chefs and Paul Astephen, a visiting chef from the United States having more than 30 years culinary experience. At Christmas Eve, there will also be interactive games and lottery draws for diners to take part in.

Contact: 010-6601-4466 ext.162/188

Italian Fare photography competition

Date: Dec 6, 2016 to Feb 28, 2017

Venue: online

Price: free

The Italian embassy has kicked off the so-called Italian fare photography competition with several partners, including Itatour, a traveling agency providing Italian traveling service. Chinese people who have been to Italy are welcomed to post their photos of Italian foods taken during their trips on Sina Webo and mention Italian embassy to get reviewed.

Camera Stylo: Fairy Tale

Date: Dec 17 - 2:30 pm

Venue: Camera Stylo

Price: 30 yuan

Fairy Wang may be a working-class girl from rural China, but she thinks she's the next Coco Chanel. After posting her eccentric designs on Weibo, China's largest social media site, Fairy becomes an overnight internet celebrity. But fame comes at a price for the misunderstood fashion misfit. Filmmaker Rongfei Guo befriends Fairy and walks in the unlikely designer's very first fashion show.

Contact: camera_stylo@outlook.com

Leviathan, Special Screening at Institut Francais in Beijing

Date: Dec 22 - 7 pm

Venue: French Culture Center

Price: 20 yuan

Embarking on a trawler to depict of the one of the oldest human enterprises, V��r��na Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor witness, in a stream of astonishing images, the clash between man, nature and the machine. The documentary is made with ten digital cameras that are buffeted by the wind and the waves and strapped to the bodies of fishermen and the ship's ropes. Going beyond all existing benchmarks to a place where sea and sky appear as one, the film both warns us of the dangers of intensive fishing and reveals the staggering beauty of the ocean.

Contact: 010-6553-2627

Yoga for the Dogs

Date: Dec 17 - 1 pm

Venue: Galaxy Soho

Price: 100 yuan

The goal of this yoga event is to raise funds for dogs rescued from dog meat trucks. These specific dogs were rescued from Northern China, and are currently being rehabilitated throughout different vets in Beijing. All funds raised from this event will be used toward bills and costs, including neutering, transportation, and medical fees. With your help, we hope to find these dogs temporary foster homes in addition to permanent loving homes within and outside of China. We are honored to work together with local businesses Ms Uptown and Juice by Melissa on this event.

Contact: 186-1189-4423