While Cultural Keys can be considered your go-to for a variety of traditional Chinese culture activities, there are of course plenty of other fun and interesting cultural events happening around the capital every month!
Here’s our round-up of activities connected with Chinese culture and history for March in Beijing!
Please note: Cultural Keys is in no way affiliated with any of the events or organisations listed in this article, unless explicitly stated. We offer no guarantee about the quality of any third party events, and strongly suggest interested participants contact the relevant organizers to clarify event details before attending.
Exhibition: Beauty In Greatness Through Details 美在致广——全国小幅美术精品展
Date: January 18th 2023 – March 26th 2023
Location: National Art Museum of China | No. 1 Wusi Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 中国国家美术馆 | 北京市东城区五四大街1号
Time: Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 – 17:00 (Last admission at 16:00)
Price: Free
Payment: Reservation required via online platform: http://www.namoc.org/ucenter/ticketinfo
Language: English and Chinese
This exhibition, with the theme of “Beauty in Broadness”, brings together a total of 1,000 small-scale art works collected by the National Art Museum of China, specially invited creations, and collected from across the country, covering Chinese paintings, oil paintings, prints, sculptures, watercolors, and crafts. Art and other types of art. With this exhibition, the National Art Museum of China advocates the benefits of seeing the big in the small, seeing the love in the small, seeing the interest in the small, and seeing the pattern in the small, and strives for subtlety and the vastness.
Tea Time: Tasting & Talk with Phoebe and Jeremiah 茶歇时间：与菲比和耶利米品尝和交谈
Date: March 4th 2023
Location: The Hutong | 1 Jiudaowan Zhongxiang Hutong (southeast of Beixinqiao subway station) Dongcheng District, Beijing 北京市东城区九道湾中巷胡同1号(北新桥地铁站东南边）
Time: 14:30
Price: 350 RMB, 300 RMB for Members
Payment: Reservation required via online platform: https://www.thebeijinger.com/events/2023/feb/tea-time-tasting-talk-phoebe-and-jeremiah
Language: English
Join certified tea expert Phoebe Han and historian Jeremiah Jenne for an afternoon of tasting and talking about tea. In this special session, we will pair some of China’s most celebrated teas with the stories, tales, and legends behind the world’s most consumed beverage.
Tea drinking has a long and storied history in China. Tea drinking originated in China, and since then, Chinese tea culture has developed and flowered. The legend has it that tea was ‘discovered’ by Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BC when the wind blew some tea leaves into his cup of hot water. Despite tea being part of the Chinese culture and used as medicine for centuries before, it turned into a popular drink in the 200’s AD. Tea cultivation, harvesting, and consumption became more and more celebrated through the centuries, becoming an important tradition and its ceremonial presentation came to be a form of art.
Concert: China National Traditional Orchestra Concert “国际妇女节”特别策划：“红妆国乐”中央民族乐团音乐会
Date: March 9th, 2023
Location: National Grand Theater | No. 2, West Chang’an Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 国家大剧院 | 北京市西城区西长安街2号
Time: 19:30
Price: 80/120/180/ 280/380/480/580RMB per person
Payment: Reservation required via online platform: https://en.chncpa.org/whatson/zdyc/202301/t20230118_246777.shtml
Language: Chinese and English
The China National Traditional Orchestra is the world’s largest comprehensive state-level music ensemble with the most complete set of national musical instruments. It is composed of a large-sized Chinese traditional orchestra, a Chinese traditional chorus, a performance department, an art studio and more. This concert is performed by the China National Traditional Orchestra, bringing the audience to experience the charm of traditional Chinese music, musical instruments and repertoire.
Performance: Shanghai Pingtan “Thunderstorm” 百戏中华-国家大剧院非遗剧种展演：苏州市评弹团《光前裕后”-四大名著评弹专场 / 苏州市评弹团中篇苏州弹词《雷雨》
Date: March 10th and 11th 2023
Location: National Grand Theater | No. 2, West Chang’an Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 国家大剧院 | 北京市西城区西长安街2号
Time: 19:30
Price: 80/120/180/ 280/380/480RMB per person
Payment: Reservation required via online platform: http://ticket.chncpa.org/product-1094848.html#2023-03-10
Language: Chinese
Suzhou Pingtan is a traditional quyi storytelling drama that is performed in Wu dialect. It originated in Suzhou, and is popular in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. Pingtan has a long history and was quite popular during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
This performance will be by Suzhou Pingtan Troupe and is adapted from Cao Yu’s play of the same name, telling the story of a family tragedy that happened more than 80 years ago. Thirty years of love and hatred, lust and tears in the Zhou mansion have created a thunderstorm of grief.
Presentation: China Revisited – Recovering Lost Travel Writing 讲座：重访中国 – 找回丢失的游记
Date: March 15th 2023
Location: Online event
Time: 19:00
Price: Free for RASBJ and RAS Shanghai members;￥100 for non-members.
Payment: Reservation required via online platform (Please scan QR to register): https://www.thebeijinger.com/events/2023/feb/china-revisited-recovering-lost-travel-writing
Language: English
Paul French digs into historical travelogues he has uncovered through recent research.
Presentation: The Essentials of the Qingming Festival
Location: Online via Zoom
Time: March 30th 2023 7-8pm (Beijing time)
Places: Unlimited
Price: FREE for members of Cultural Key’s WeChat group; 80RMB for non-members. Add CulturalKeysCCC on WeChat to join our group!
Payment: Prepayment via PayPal (no PayPal account needed), WeChat, or Alipay. Fapiao available on request.
The Qingming festival is one of China’s oldest festivals, and has been observed for over 2500 years. This year it falls on April 5th. It’s a day dedicated to remembering and honouring deceased ancestors, but the way the festival is celebrated has changed over time. How has it changed? What foods are eaten on the festival? What other customs are observed? Find out the answers to these questions and more fascinating facts in our online presentation!
Exhibition: A Literary Legacy at the Palace Museum
Date: Runs until April 2nd 2023
Location: The Palace Museum
Time: 8.30am-4.30pm
Price: 40RMB per person
Language: Chinese
An exhibition of the culture of the highest level of the imperial examinations and works by the men who passed. Visit dpm.org.cn/show/258876.html for more information.
What events are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear your thoughts and insights on traditional Chinese culture!
Photo Credits
– The organisers
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Cultural Keys helps you access, understand and enjoy life in China through traditional Chinese culture. Click here to read more about Cultural Keys and what we can do for you, your school, company or group to help you get more out of your time in China!