What's on

Cash culture

Facai, or "good fortune", is a phrase commonly used to celebrate Lunar New Year. Ancient Chinese Currencies, a long-term exhibition at the National Museum of China, shows coins, ingots and notes from its collection. There are also vessels, figurines and other objects of antiquity that show currency's various roles in people's lives over time. The exhibition reflects upon how ancient Chinese valued wealth, how the financial system developed and what role currencies played in exchanges with other civilizations.

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

Restaging a classic

The Goddess Chang'e Flies to the Moon is a classic Peking Opera piece performed by Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) that premiered in 1915.Jingju Theater Company of Beijing, formerly known as Beijing Peking Opera Theater, has adapted the classic piece with new arrangements and will stage the latest version with the same title, featuring such young actors as Dou Xiaoxuan, Liu Shuoyu and Ma Botong.

7:30 pm, March 5. Chang'an Grand Theater. No 7, Jianguomennei Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 400-690-3721.

Orchestrating tradition

Beijing Chinese Orchestra will perform a concert under the baton of conductor Tan Lihua, presenting pieces by Chinese composers, including Zhao Jiping's traditional orchestral piece, Seek Roots at the Ancient Chinese Scholar Tree, Zheng Yang's Three Harmonies in the Forbidden City and Wu Houyuan's Red Plum Capriccio, featuring erhu (two-stringed fiddle) player Deng Jiandong.

7:30 pm, March 5. National Center for the Performing Arts. No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Knowing the unknown

Exploring an unknown world is a mission shared by visual artists and scientists. It has become more common in recent years for artists to work with scientists or take advantage of new technologies to renew their work and push the boundaries of art. Zheng Da, a media artist based in Wuhan, Hubei province, has carved out a niche in the field for his installations, which use relatively unsophisticated technologies while engaging viewers to ponder the current human condition. Zheng's ongoing solo exhibition at Beijing's Today Art Museum, Unknown Unknowns, presents several major works created since 2016 to inspire people to think about the relationship between humans and technology. The exhibition, which runs until April 5, reflects Zheng's research of artificial intelligence, AI consciousness and the coexistence of humans and machines, which may emerge as a new "species" in the future. It also reveals Zheng's love of computer games－a prominent subject in his creations. He believes they're not only entertainment but also a medium that has changed the way people perceive the boundary between the virtual and real worlds.

10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday. 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5876-0600.