Tianqiao revives tradition by building a global stage for performing arts

Stretching along the southern section of Beijing's Central Axis, a 2.07-square-kilometer cultural cluster comes alive with young playwrights drafting scripts in hutong (alleyway) studios, acrobatic troupes staging performances of intangible cultural heritage, and a major arts center hosting its annual musical theater festival.

This is the Tianqiao performing arts area, where traditional culture meets modern creativity and theaters, playhouses and creative incubators converge.

"Two decades ago, Tianqiao was marked by dilapidated buildings and scattered street stalls," says Yin Yixin, chairman of the Tianqiao Zenith Group. "Yet during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the years before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, this area was a bustling area where thousands of folk artists came to perform drama, traditional music and acrobatics."

To revive that legacy, an extensive renewal project was launched. The Tianqiao Performing Arts Center opened in 2015, presenting year-round programs of dramas, musicals, concerts, and ballets. In the years that followed, more theaters, creative incubators and hutong-based studios emerged across the area.

That transformation has laid the foundation for Tianqiao's revival as a thriving hub for the performing arts.

"Come to Tianqiao for musicals" is more than a slogan — it has become part of daily life here. Today, Tianqiao hosts international musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera and Notre-Dame de Paris, alongside original Chinese productions including The Orphan of Zhao and Twelve Hours of Chang'an, earning acclaim from audiences at home and abroad.

"It's amazing! The stage sets are unique, and the cast delivers powerful performances," says Ma Yihan, a young Chinese theater lover who has attended multiple shows at Tianqiao, including Elisabeth and Mozart L'Opera Rock.

John Owen-Jones, a leading star of The Phantom of the Opera, says China's growing audience for Western musicals could help spur a new wave of homegrown productions, with an increasing number of polished original Chinese musicals already emerging.

Acrobatic troupes also regularly perform at Wansheng Theater in Tianqiao, while immersive productions centered on China's intangible cultural heritage attract big crowds. Venues such as the Tianqiao Impression Museum use augmented reality and motion-sensing technologies to revive fading folk arts. In contrast, its archive of 20,000 volumes of folk literature is free and open to the public.

Yang Shucong, general manager of the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, says the venue will stage a lineup of iconic international musicals this year. The English-language program includes Chicago and Kinky Boots, while French offerings include Don Juan and Cyrano de Bergerac.

Chinese-language adaptations are also gaining popularity. Standout productions include The Devotion of Suspect X, Murder Ballad and The Count of Monte Cristo.

These productions mark a pivotal step in the center's evolution, from a venue operator into a content co-creator, Yang says.

"Going forward, we'll continue to carry forward China's cultural heritage, foster new forms of cultural activities, and build the Tianqiao Performing Arts Area into a global stage where cultural exchange and performing arts thrive," Yin says.

XINHUA