Beijing Art| 4 min read
During the Cultural Revolution in 1966 with the concept of Four Olds (old ideas, old culture, old customs, old habits), the Communist Party of China set very loose guidelines in terms of classifying what was “old”, and anything that existed before 1949 was subject to being destroyed, including examples of centuries-old traditional arts.
As you can see, during China’s long and various history, Chinese Arts has developed in diversity and richness. As the cultural centre of China, Beijing will show you its great history, beauty, magnificence, uniqueness, tradition, and treasures.
Chinese art encompasses fine arts, folk arts, and performing arts.
Beijing Art
| Beijing is the cradle of great performances: Beijing Opera, acrobatics, kung-fu, cross-talk, story-telling, comic dialogue (Xiangsheng), dragon dance, folk dances etc. Beijing Opera is the quintessence of Chinese culture. It combines singing, dancing, music, art and literature, which endears itself to people home and overseas.
Chinese acrobatics has won many awards at an international level and has amazed audiences throughout the world. In a cross-talk, performers use different ways to make you laugh. They may tell jokes, imitate, show stunts or sing in exaggerated ways. It is so comical that audiences can’t help laughing. Story-telling (Pingshu) is deeply loved by local people. As a common practice, the teller has a paper fan in one hand and stands behind a table that has a block on it. The block is used to call listeners’ attention when he comes to the showdown of the story. With particular cadence and actions, it is quite interesting. Visual Arts of China make Chinese traditional culture a true beauty and a charm. Traditional Chinese Painting, Calligraphy, Porcelain Pottery and Embroidery, Chop Engraving are great treasures of the Chinese civilization as they date far back into history and are still a great part of Chinese society today. The beauty and the uniqueness of Macramé and Paper Cutting set a new standard for folk and visual arts, like no other. For those interested in contemporary Chinese art, 798 Art Zone is highly recommended. Located in the northeast suburb of Beijing, this area was previously inhabited by factory plants but has now become a haven for artists from home and even abroad. Artists gather here to open galleries, art studios and cafes, and hold all kinds of art events, making the area the most resounding name in the artistic circle. You can kill a couple of hours reading books or just chatting with friends in the leisurely and artistic cafes. |
Theatres and Concert Halls
| Following are some recommended theatres and concert halls:
National Centre for the Performing Arts Huguang Huiguan Theater Liyuan Theater Laoshe Teahouse Zhengyici Theater Location: No.7, Dongchangan Jie, Dongcheng District Capital Theater Tianqiao Theater Poly Theater China Puppet Theater China National Children’s Art Theater Beijing Concert Hall Jinfan Concert Hall |
