Beijing Entertainment

Although not quite offering the hedonistic nightlife and entertainment of the likes of Shanghai and Hong Kong, Beijing is certainly growing up in this respect and offers a fairly diverse nightlife that won’t break the bank if you are careful.  Opera has always been in Beijing, yet the city now boasts many new venues and shows. Acrobatics has also grown to new heights in Beijing, while the teahouse theatres, cultural events and slew of live music venues add to the fun.

Nightlife

Beijing’s nightlife has grown immensely over the last decade or so and virtually anything goes in many popular city hangouts including foreign themed pubs, sexy bars and quality nightclubs. Both foreign and Chinese tourists as well as Beijing residents are partial to a night on the town, although many also stay indoors and watch television. The Tianqiao area (Overbridge) and Sanlitun Pub Street are two of the best areas in town to enjoy the nightlife and restaurants, while most four and five-star hotels in the city centre offer some form of entertainment.

Theatre and music

Beijing’s traditional teahouse theatres are always a good bet for taking in some traditional performances including the Beijing Opera and acrobatic shows. Chinese opera is somewhat intense and takes some watching, with plenty of screeching and overacting, although it is quite easy to understand through mime and subtitle boards.

The Liyuan Theater in the Jianguo Hotel on Qianmen offers nightly folk performances and genuine Beijing opera. For some more up-to-date entertainment and music, the Sanlitun Pub Street and Chaoyang District offer many venues for the well-heeled, with rock-and-roll, hip-hop and jazz nightly.

Festivals

The Chinese take the word ‘festival’ to a whole new level, with immense displays of colour and culture throughout the city, the biggest and most obvious being Chinese New Year celebrations.

• Chinese New Year (Spring Festival): millions of Chinese migrate to Beijing for the biggest event of the year, Chinese New Year. The party goes on for three days, yet people may party for up to a week, and hotels, restaurants and attractions during this time remain jam-packed. According to the traditional lunar calendar, the festival starts on the first day of the first moon (late January/mid-February).
• The Lantern Festival: not long after Chinese New Year is celebrated, the Lantern Festival features Beijingers carrying thousands of coloured paper lanterns through the streets (February).
• Tomb Sweeping Day: sees the locals worshipping their ancestors by cleaning their gravesites and burning 'ghost money', which the deceased may use in the afterlife (April).
• The Mid-Autumn Festival: also known as the Moon Festival, sees families coming together to eat moon cakes, which symbolise the moon, and get into the festive spirit (September or October).