Entertainment in Beijing

Check out the China Art Gallery and the Court Yard Gallery for the current exhibitions. There is also some calligraphy and landscape painting exhibitions in the city.

The Cherry Lane Movies in Beijing shows Chinese Films that are subtitled in English to promote the Chinese Film Industry. The French Embassy's Salle de Cinema has some classic French films on show. Also at the Sculpting in Time Cafe, one can watch a foreign film with English subtitles.

For watching some Ballet, or classical dance, check out what is on at the Poly Plaza International Theatre. The Central Ballet stages performances here annually and would stage a major Western classic like Swan Lake. The Joffrey Ballet perform here also.

The Museum of Natural History has some interesting collections, including some pickled human specimens. There is also a hi- tech China Space Museum. To learn more about the great history of this wonderful country, take the time to discover the Confucian Temple, as well as the former Residence of Soong Ching Ling.

For great music, go down to the Beijing Concert Hall, or the Century Theatre. Some local places stage some great traditional Chinese music, like the San Wei Bookstore, where the locals would play the erhu and pipa in fine style.

There is also an annual Jazz festival each year here in Beijing. Major concerts are sometimes staged at the Capital Gymnasium and the Workers Gymnasium. One can buy tickets for the Liyuan Theatre or the Lao She Tea House Theatre that can witness some traditional form performances.

Nightclubs are starting to spring up around the city. Most are located in the downtown area, but you will find a few in the Hai Dian student district also. The Downtown clubs are little more expensive, but are full of class. Vogue is very popular and plays techno as well as house music.
The Nightman Disco caters for the gay parade. For the seedier side, there is Maggie's Café, which is open all night.

The Havana Cafe and the Salsa Cabana will offer salsa dance lessons and host live bands at weekends. The trendy Loft is a crazy place to go to and stays open until sunrise.