What's on

Turandot

When: Dec 13-15, 7:15 pm

Where: Shanghai Grand Theater

Shanghai Opera House will present Puccini's spectacular masterpiece Turandot.

Directed by Roberto Ando and produced by the Shanghai Opera House, the opera has three acts, with more than 200 artists.

Turandot is Puccini's final opera, featuring arguably the most famous tenor aria in the opera repertoire, the iconic Nessun Dorma.

The work is based on the Turandot story by Carlo Gozzi and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1926.

Turandot is a beautiful princess, but coldhearted. She stipulates that any prince seeking to marry her must answer three riddles, and if he fails, he will be sentenced to death. After three princes lose their lives, Calaf, the prince of Tartary who is in exile, answers all the questions correctly.

However, the princess refuses to accept defeat.

The Diaries of John Rabe

When: Dec 13, 7:30 pm

Where: Jiangsu Center for the Performing Arts, Nanjing

An opera production, The Diaries of John Rabe, tells a tale of humanitarian heroism during the Nanjing Massacre of 1937.

When the Imperial Japanese Army advanced toward Nanjing in its all-out invasion of China, John Rabe (1882-1950), a German businessman working for Siemens in China, and 20 other foreigners, established the Nanjing Safety Zone that sheltered 200,000 Chinese refugees.

A total of 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were slaughtered by the Japanese army over a period of six weeks from December 1937, when Japan captured Nanjing, then capital of China.

Rabe witnessed the Japanese atrocities firsthand and recorded them in his diary.

It took composer Tang Jianping one year and five days to put the opera on stage. Directed by Zhou Mo, the work stands for universal humanism.

Sarah McKenzie

When: Dec 14-15, 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm

Where: Blue Note Beijing

Sarah McKenzie hails from Melbourne, Australia; she earned a bachelor's in jazz at Perth's West Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

McKenzie has performed at iconic venues, including festivals in Monterey, Juan-les-Pins, Marciac and Perugia, Dizzy's and Minton's in New York. Together with the Boston Pops Orchestra, she premiered one of her compositions at Boston's Symphony Hall.

Her version of We Could Be Lovers won an award in Australia.

Lin Zexu

When: Dec 14-22, 7:30 pm

Where: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing

Directed by Wang Xiaodi and written by scriptwriter Guo Qihong, the play Lin Zexu features actor Pu Cunxin as the protagonist and actress Xu Fan as Guan Shuqing, Lin's wife.

In 1838, the Chinese scholar and Qing dynasty (1644-1911) official, was sent to Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to stop the illegal importation of opium by the British. Lin arrived in the spring of 1839 and launched the destruction of opium in Humen, a port town, on June 3, 1839.

About 1,400 metric tons of opium, confiscated from foreign traders, was destroyed within 23 days. The incident triggered the First Opium War (1839-42).

Marking the 180th anniversary of the war, the play, commissioned by the National Center for the Performing Arts and Guangzhou Dramatic Arts Center, will be premiered in Beijing.

It also incorporates dance to showcase the battle scenes.

Swan Lake

When: Dec 28, 7:30 pm

Where: Nanjing Poly Grand Theater

Swan Lake crosses the world of magic and mystical creatures with that of the real world.

It is a story where the virtues of love and forgiveness in the end conquer evil and betrayal.

It is a tale of two young women, Odette and Odile, who resemble each other so closely that one can easily be mistaken for the other. It is a compelling legend of a tragic romance in which a princess, Odette, is turned into a swan by an evil curse.

Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans while out hunting.

When one of the swans turns into a beautiful young woman he is instantly captivated－but will his love prove strong enough to break the evil spell that she is under?

The Imperial Russian Ballet was formed in 1994 by the Bolshoi Theater soloist, Gediminas Taranda.

NCPA New Year's Chime Concert

When: Dec 31, 7:30 pm

Where: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing

The annual National Center for the Performing Arts New Year's Chime Concert will ring in the New Year on Dec 31.

Zhang Yi, the president of the China National Symphony Orchestra, will conduct the National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra and mezzosoprano Zhu Huiling, presents Eastern and Western classics to embrace the New Year.

Carmen

When: Feb 25-March 1, 7 pm

Where: National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing

Carmen, a tragic story by Prosper Merimee, was initially staged as an opera written and adapted by Georges Bizet. It is one of the most frequently performed and popular masterpieces in the world.

In this performance, the story, which illustrates the rebellious nature of Spanish gypsies, is interpreted through flamenco.

In 2010, the National Center for the Performing Arts produced the opera.