STAGE

Happy work: Figuren Theatre Vlinders & Co from Belgium will bring their chamber comedy "Washing and Magic Changing" to Beijing audiences.

The imaginative play is full of humour and wit. Two office cleaners, both bored with routine work, want to find a way to break out of monotony.

Time: 7:30 pm, August 4-6

Place: China Puppet Art Theatre, A1 Anhuali, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6425-4798, 6424-7085

Summertime 'Nutcracker': Children on summer vacation in Beijing have the opportunity to enjoy the puppet-art version of "The Nutcracker," based on the ballet by Tchaikovsky and performed by China Puppet Art Troupe.

Time: 7:30 pm, until July 16

Place: China Puppet Theatre, A1 Anhuali, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6425-4798, 6424-7085

Family dynamics: The Beijing People's Art Theatre will stage their repertoire "Beijing People."

Adapted to the famous Chinese playwright Cao Yu's work written in 1941, the play focuses on a declining aristocratic family in Beijing during the federal times before the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

The family members struggle to live with each other amidst various conflicts.

Compared with Cao's other well-known work "Thunder Storm," which stress ethics and morals in relationships, this three-act play pointedly critiques federal culture and society.

Time: 7:30 pm, until July 23

Place: Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie

Tel: 6524-9847

Jungle story: The Bulgarian Sofia Puppet Theatre will present the story of "Mowgli."

Mowgli, a 10-year-old boy raised by a wolf in the jungle, struggles with shortcomings like every child and tries to find himself when he faces contradictory choices.

Time: 7:30 pm, July 21-23

Place: China Puppet Theatre, A1 Anhuali

Tel: 6425-4798, 6424-7085

Issue of the heart: Director Meng Jinghui will stage the musical drama "Amber."

Gao Yuan, a cynical young man with a strong superiority complex, cannot help falling in love with Xiao You at first sight. But Xiao, a museum commentator, has a secret. After the death of her fianc, Gao receives her lover's heart in a transplant.

Time: 7:30 pm, July 20-30

Place: Poly Theatre, Dongsi Shitiao

Tel: 6506-5345, 6506-5343

Peacock flies again: For Peking Opera lovers, the upcoming show "Peacock Flying Southeastward" will be a precious chance to appreciate the classic performance by the Cheng School of Peking Opera.

The Cheng School of Peking Opera was created by Cheng Yanqiu, one of the four great dan (female role) actors, together with Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun and Xun Huisheng.

The Cheng School is distinct for its strong but gentle singing, and their graceful water sleeve dancing skills.

Adapted from an ancient poem, the play tells the tragic love story of a couple who are forced to divorce by a strict mother-in-law.

Time: 7:30 pm, July 29

Place: Chang'an Grand Theatre, 7 Jianguomennei Dajie

Tel: 6510-1309

Joyful jugglers: The China Acrobatic Troupe is staging a night variety show at the Tiandi Theatre, where the seemingly impossible becomes reality, where performers spin plates and juggle umbrellas.

Contortionists show incredible feats of flexibility as acrobats leap through the air.

Integrating superlative juggling, unicycling, balancing and jumping through hoops with the finest ancient Chinese dancing, the star-studded cast aims to impress.

Time: 7:15 pm, daily

Place: 10 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6502-3984

All-year acrobatics: Chaoyang Theatre is one of the few Beijing theatres to present acrobatics all year.

Top acrobats invited from all over the country perform for Chinese and foreign audiences.

The programme features trick cycling, leaping through hoops and Chinese magic tricks.

Some of the artists have won prizes in international competitions.

Time: 7:15 pm, daily

Place: 36 Dongsanhuan Bei Lu, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6507-2421, 6507-1818

CONCERTS

Children's voices: The British Colombia Children's Choir will bring their talent to Beijing.

Founded in 1968, the troupe enjoys a high reputation worldwide. The choir has prepared 30 songs in nearly 10 languages.

Time: 7:30 pm, July 15,16

Place: Poly Theatre, Dongsi Shitiao, Chaoyang District

Time: 6506-5345, 6506-5343

Chamber music: A concert will be staged at Peking University by the Swiss Piano Trio.

Established in 1998, the trio of pianist Martin Lucas Staub, violinist Angela Golubeva and cellist Sbastien Singer, have toured 25 countries.

They have also taken part in numerous festivals worldwide and co-operated with famous composers.

Time: 7 pm, July 19

Place: Peking University Concert Hall, Peking University

Tel: 6275-2279, 6275-9637

Chinese music teaching: Guzheng performer Wang Zhongshan will host a lecture/concert.

Wang will play classical works together with his students, while explaining the music to the audience.

Time: 7:30 pm, July 23

Place: Forbidden City Concert Hall

Tel: 6559-8285

Family affair: He Wenguang, a composer of the Naxi ethnic minority, will bring five members of his family to the stage.

The three generations, his grandmother, parents, daughter and son, will sing old folk songs of their homeland in Yunnan Province. The 73-year-old grandma, Xiao Rulian, was born to be a singer and can sing different songs for days.

With musical talent in his blood, He has a repertoire of around 100 folk songs.

Time: 7:30 pm, August 2

Place: Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park

Tel: 6559-8285

Hip-hop hit-maker: Top-selling band Black Eyed Peas brings its mixture of hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, pop and folk to Beijing audiences.

Its members, Will.I.Am, Fergie, Apl.de.Ap and Taboo, are skilled in mixing various elements into their performances, making the band a hit-maker in the cross-genre, pop music scene.

Time: 7:30 pm, July 18

Place: Beizhan Theatre, Xizhimenwai Dajie, Haidian District

Tel: 6835-4455

Energetic band: The Painful Belief Band is set to rock & roll.

Lead singer Gao Hu, is accompanied by his bassist, two drummers and three guitar players.

Time: 8 pm, July 20

Place: Star Live Concert Hall, 3/F Tango, 79 Heping Xijie

Tel: 6425-5166

Pure sound: Famed as the "Prince of Love Songs," Jeff Zhang moves his fans with pure emotion. He has released many albums, most of which have sold well.

Time: 7:30 pm, August 13

Place: Great Hall of the People, west of Tian'anmen Square

Tel: 6417-7845, 6608-1188

EXHIBITIONS

Geography of art: Jing Shijian, an art professor from the Hangzhou-based China Academy of Art in East China's Zhejiang Province, is staging his one-man show entitled "Geography of Art" at the National Art Museum of China.

On display are at least 20 of his latest works of oil paintings, sculptures and installations.

A large portion of the works are rendered in a surrealistic fashion, reflecting the artist's thoughts on such issues as the social role of intellectuals and the situation of traditional Chinese culture in a globalizing world.

Time: 9 am-6 pm, until July 29

Place: 1 Wusi Dajie

Tel: 8403-3500

Debut celebration: To welcome the official launch of the central digital TV paintings and calligraphy channel on July 18, a grand show is set, displaying 100 carefully selected works of calligraphy, ink paintings, oil on canvas, and prints.

Time: 9 am-5 pm, until July 20

Place: National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie

Tel: 8403-3500

Hardship in focus: Jiang Jian's new photography series named "Archives on Orphans" zooms in on the fate of 1,000 abandoned children.

In 2004, the Federation of Philanthropic Organizations in Henan Province and the Shaolin Temple jointly launched a campaign to provide aid to 1,036 orphans in the province.

Jiang plans to take pictures of the orphans every five years to keep a record.

Time: 10 am-6 pm, until July 27

Place: 798 Photo Gallery, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6438-1784

Designer's show: Renowned Chinese artist/designer Lin Jing is set to hold her solo art show at the Contrasts Gallery.

On show will be a dozen of her latest works of furniture, industrial designs, sculptures and installations.

With an art education background in both China and Belgium, Lin always tries to weld Chinese elements and concepts with Western techniques in various art genres.

Her previous work ranges from oil paintings, clothes, tableware, pottery and ceramics, installation and landscape art.

Time: 9 am-6 pm, July 28-August 25

Place: Contrasts Gallery, 798 Dashanzi Art Zone, 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6432-1369

Creatures great and small: Artist Wang Luhuan moves viewers with his vivid stone sculptures of tiny creatures. Calligraphy and poems are also added to provide a literary flavour.

Exhibits include 50 sculptures, 12 ink paintings and eight calligraphy works.

Wang has studied Chinese painting since his childhood. He graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and has worked in the Palace Museum since 1973.

Time: 9 am-5 pm, until August 8

Place: World Art Museum inside China Millennium Monument, A 9 Fuxing Lu

Tel: 6851-3322

Smoking faces: Artist Yan Yu is displaying his "Smoker" series this month.

Focusing on the facial expressions of male and female smokers, Yan attempts to transmit a kind of living status beyond reality.

Yan has lived in Songzhuang Artist Village for nearly eight years and enjoys the simple, quiet country life.

Time: 9 am till midnight, until July 30

Place: Artist Village Gallery, 1 North of Rencun, Songzhuang

Tel: 6959-8343

Industrial wasteland: Zhao Xiaojia's industrial landscape series conveys extreme anxiety.

Living for many years in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province, a big industrial city in northern China, Zhao highlights the decline of the factories and the communities that depended on them.

Using brown, black and red, he records the ruins of Chinese modernization and his fears and worries.

Time: 10 am-6:30 pm, until July 30

Place: Highland Gallery, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu

Tel: 6437-7177

Dreamy land: On a brightly coloured tableau, the image of butterflies dominate, as painter Wu Dewu creates a dreamy scene called "An Inaccessible World."

Time: 10 am-5 pm, until July 30

Place: Red T Space, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu

Tel: 8911-5762

Clay sculptures: Nicknamed a "Clay Sculpture King in Yan'an," Wang Wenhai has created a series of 100 works depicting Chairman Mao Zedong, in sizes ranging from several centimetres to that of a real person.

Time: 11 am-6:30 pm, until July 31

Place: Margin Art, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District

Tel: 8709-3557

Interlocking images: Abstract oil paintings by Gao Runxi impress visitors with smooth lines and dense colour.

Through the images that interlock with each other, viewers can feel the rhythm of life and its vitality.

Time: 10 am-5 pm, until July 25

Place: Melodic Gallery, 14 Jianwai Dajie, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6515-8123

In the mix: The Songzhuang Art Co-operative is holding its Third Visual Art Exhibition, with 28 contemporary artists joining to display oil paintings, digital video works, photographs, installations and performing arts, with no definition or restriction on themes.

Time: 11 am-5 pm, until July 24

Place: Songzhuang Art Co-operative, Tongzhou District

Tel: 8957-2984

EVENT

Chorus concert: "Sound of Sports" chorus team of the State Sport General Administration will give an open air concert on Sunday.

The programme includes solo performances as well as male and female choruses, but most importantly, all of their songs pertain to sports.

The choir, founded in 2000, is composed of senior athletes, senior coaches and senior sports workers.

Time: 9:00 am-10:00 am, July 16,

Place: Beijing Shijingshan International Sculpture Park, Yuquan Lu, Haidian District

(China Daily 07/15/2006 page8)