DK Travel : Beijing : History & Culture

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Abacus

Invented during the Yuan dynasty and still in use throughout China today.
Acrobatics

Beijing Opera is a form of “total theater” with singing, speech, mime, and acrobatics that combine graceful gymnastics and movements from the martial arts. Training is notoriously hard. Costumes are designed to make the jumps seem more spectacular by billowing out as they spin.
Acrobatics

China has a worldwide reputation for its gymnasts, who perform breathtaking routines that showcase their unnerving flexibility. Displays of balance often involve props such as chairs, plates, and bicycles. Several Beijing theaters put on shows, of which the best is possibly that at the Chaoyang Theater (Dong Sanhuan Bei Lu; map H3); your hotel will be able to help with reservations.
Beijing Bicycle

(Wang Xiaoshuai; 2001) A young bike messenger has his ride stolen and attempts to get it back.
Beijing Opera

With its incomprehensible plots, unfamiliar sounds, and performances lasting up to three hours, Beijing Opera is a hard-to-acquire taste. However, everyone should try it at least once (see Beijing Opera).
Beijing Traditional Opera Theater

Highlights shows in English.
Chang’an Grand Theater

Daily two-hour performances of mostly complete operas.
Chaoyang Theater

Daily hour-long performances of highlights.
Chou

The chou are the comic characters and they’re denoted by white patches on their noses. Patches of different shape and size mean roles of different character. It is the chou who keep the audience laughing.
Cinema

The low cost and wide-spread availability of pirate DVDs means that most Beijingers stay home to watch their movies. So despite a vibrant home movie industry, decent cinemas are few in number. Add to which, there is a cap on the number of imported foreign-language films shown each year.