I am considering going to see the chinese acrobats at the Chaoyang Theatre in Beijing. I have been in contact with Storm Li (concierge at my hotel) he can get me tickets. The prices are 280,380,580 and 680 Yuan. He says I can take the Subway (that is a little scarey to me) I would like to hear any thoughts about the show, what price seats to go for and the subway. TIA

> I am considering going to see the chinese acrobats at the Chaoyang Theatre in Beijing. I have been in contact with Storm Li (concierge at my hotel) he can get me tickets. The prices are 280,380,580 and 680 Yuan.

These are very high made-for-tourists prices on which third parties booking for known foreigners are often given kick-backs (and while not knowing which hotel you will be staying at, Beijing concierges, with exceptions counted on less than the fingers of one hand, are driven solely by kick-backs and will not recommend, organise, or even necessarily know about anything for which they do not get a kick-back). You can almost certainly obtain a ticket yourself at the door, probably more cheaply, and there are other acrobat and acrobat/operatic shows to choose from, too, with lower prices. Even the Chaoyang venues site shows it has tickets at ¥180 and ¥200. ¥180 is the standard starting price for most shows at most venues. At these prices the audience will be almost entirely foreigners. The Chaoyang show lasts about an hour.

> He says I can take the Subway (that is a little scarey to me) I would like to hear any thoughts about the show, what price seats to go for and the subway.

Why would a subway be scary? There's nothing scary at all about Beijing's subway, several of whose lines are brand spanking new, and which given the almost permanent traffic jams at street level is often the quickest way to get around. There are plenty of signs in English, announcements in English on the trains themselves, with electronic maps that show clearly where you are going. The price of your trip will be ¥2 each way. That's €0.23, £0.21, or US$0.29.

But if you're averse to subways, simply take a taxi.

Peter N-H

Peter N-H, thank you. I typically buy as much as possible from from an official website. In this case I was unable to really identify the official website. Do you have the URL for the Chaoyang Theatre website. I figured the prices from Storm Li, the concierge were inflated. I understand what you mean. I will be at the Holiday Inn Central Plaza. You mention other shows, Do you recommend any particular one over another? About the subway, I love subways, I think I have big crowds of people in my head in Beijing. It is really crowds I do not like and feeling unsure of where I am going and getting back. I will likely do the subway, though Now, another question for you. I want to try Peking Duck. Do you know of a good Peking Duck restaurant?

The concierge, if he gets a kick-back, will be getting it from within the ticket price. The point is that these shows are made for and priced for tourists, and that lower prices than the ones he mentions are available at the ticket office.

I don't recommend any of the acrobatic shows which are more closely connected with Shanghai than Beijing, and if I wanted to see a live performance in Beijing I would choose at one end Chinese opera in the most traditional venue I could find and with an otherwise Chinese audience, and at the other a live music gig at D22, Mao Live House, or Yu Gong Yi Shan.

For luxury Chinese opera in a brand new state-of-the-art theatre I would choose the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater (in the west of the city on Ping'anli Xi Dajie 32, right by a metro station although I'd have to look up which one. See http://www.mlfdjy.cn . This is for enthusiasts rather than tourists. For the best traditional setting I would try to find out on arrival if anything is happening at the Zheng Yici, a well-restored Ming dynasty theatre that is only intermittently open. Failing that I'd go to the nearly as magnificent Qing dynasty Huguang Guildhall, although that is a bit made-for-tourists, and again they don't tell foreigners about the cheaper but still perfectly acceptable seats. See http://www.beijinghuguang.com .

As for duck, I would recommend the Beijng Da Dong Kaoya Dian and particularly the branch near the old Ming warehouses at Dong Si Shi Tiao 22, immediately east of metro (subway) Dong Si Shi Tiao on the south side of the road.

Peter N-H

Thanks for this info Peter... have tried navigating the Mei Langfang website (as it is all in mandarin am having a hard time finding where the ticketbuying page is!!!) but find that the prices are listed as

票价：￥ 80,120,180,280,380,580,680,980,1880,2080

so infact the pricerange is a) extremely wide and b) goes up to very expensive prices...

I'd sooner shoot myself in the head than watch a full chinese opera but fear the dear wife will want to go so am afraid we're in for it... I guess the 280 seats should provide an adequate middle of the road solution...

thanks

I just booked tickets for a show at the Watercube at http://www.piao.com.cn/en_piao/allticket.asp#26

They also have tickets available for other venues.

"As for duck, I would recommend the Beijng Da Dong Kaoya Dian and particularly the branch near the old Ming warehouses at Dong Si Shi Tiao 22, immediately east of metro (subway) Dong Si Shi Tiao on the south side of the road."



Peter, is it to the east of the metro or the west? Is it near Nanxincang International Mansion? Looking at the city weekend.com map it looks to be to the west, but near East Gate Cang Hutong Beikou.

The warehouses are on the south side of the road as you walk WEST (my mistake) from the Dong Si Shi Tiao metro, and the restaurant is in a new building facing the warehouses. Nan Xin Cang means New South Storehouses, by the way.

Peter N-H

Thanks so much Peter. We hope to take the metro and walk to the restaurant, so it's very helpful for me to know just were to go. I thank you for your help.