Chaoyang Theatre visit guide

Where the theatre is

The Chaoyang Theatre stands on East Third Ring Road North in Chaoyang District, in Beijing's central business area, among shopping malls, international hotels and restaurants. The ticket agency names The Place and China World Mall as nearby malls, and it is close to CCTV's headquarters. Its address is 36 East Third Ring Road North, written in Chinese as 朝阳区东三环北路36号. The theatre's information pages say it was built in 1984, and that Beijing's municipal government made it an official venue for tourism performances in 1986. It has lower and upper seating areas, and acrobatics is its main business.

A short history of the venue

The theatre's information pages say it was completed in 1984 and that, in its early years, it staged song and dance shows and dramas for domestic and international audiences before focusing on acrobatics. Beijing's municipal government designated it an official venue for tourism performances in 1986, and the Ministry of Culture later recognised it as a National Cultural Advanced Unit. Those same pages say it has hosted millions of international visitors. For a visitor, the useful point is that this is primarily an acrobatics venue with a long record, not a hall that stages acrobatics occasionally.

Read next: The 2,000-Year History Behind Every Chinese Acrobatics Show

By subway

Take Beijing Subway Line 6 or Line 10 to Hujialou station, where the two lines meet. Use exit C, which the theatre's ticket agency gives as the nearest exit. The station has seven exits, lettered B, C, C2, D, E, G and H, so check the letter on the sign before you climb out. The theatre is a short walk from exit C, and the agency describes it as directly beside the station. Both lines are shown on the sign above the entrance in the photo.

• Line 6 or Line 10 to Hujialou station
• Exit C
• Check the exit letter on the sign

By taxi, and getting back

The ticket agency says taxis and ride-hailing cars can drop you outside the theatre entrance. Show the driver the Chinese name, 朝阳剧场, or the address, 朝阳区东三环北路36号, on your phone. After the show, the subway at Hujialou or a taxi will take you back. If your booking lists drop-off, confirm it with the operator first, because the agency's own pick-up is described as one-way with the return not included. Keep the Chinese address saved on your phone in either case.

Seasons and show times

The ticket agency lists the show as running daily, but start times are not fixed. Its pages say show times vary by season and tell you to check your booking confirmation, and different pages give different schedules. Use the booking calendar and your confirmation for your date, not a time you read elsewhere. The agency recommends arriving at least 20 to 30 minutes before the start, to collect tickets, pass security and find your seat. If your ticket arrives by message on the morning of the show, check it before you set off for the theatre.

• Take the start time from your booking calendar
• Check your confirmation and message on the day
• Arrive at least 20 to 30 minutes early

What you will see

It is a variety show: one self-contained act after another, not a story. The venue lists bowl balancing, duo acrobatics, high chair balancing, plate spinning, contortion, hoop diving, cycling stunts and ball skills among its regular programmes, and names Acrobatics World and Flying Acrobatics as its best-known productions. Visit Beijing, the city's tourism site, lists flexibility routines, chairs, bikes, jumping hoops, spinning plates and feats of human strength. Programmes change over time, so treat these as the kinds of act to expect, not a promise for your date. Plate spinning, where performers keep plates turning on the tips of poles, is thought to be of Chinese origin and to go back to at least the 3rd century.

Read next: Chinese Acrobatics Acts Explained: The Classic Repertoire

Language, sound and lighting

The ticket agency's page lists the show as having no spoken dialogue, so you don't need Chinese or a translation device. The show is carried by movement and staging instead of speech. A China Daily report on the theatre's Flying programme described a mix of flips, falls, dance and high-wire spectacle with high-tech sound and lighting. Programmes change over the years, so that is a description of one programme, not a promise about your evening. Either way, there is no plot to follow and no need to arrive knowing anything about the art form.

Length, seats and children

The show lasts about 60 minutes and, according to the ticket agency, runs without an intermission, so there is no break partway through. It is described as family-friendly, and reviewers on the booking page mention bringing children. Infants under one go free without a seat on the GetYourGuide booking, while the agency's own site gives a different free age. Every other child needs a seat. Because the age limit is set by each seller, check the policy of the one you book before you travel.

Dress, food and photos

None of the sources we read sets a dress code. The ticket agency's site says food and drinks are not allowed inside the theatre and that photos without flash are generally allowed. Rules can change, and other visitor guides give different rules for cameras, so follow the signs and the staff at the door, and keep your flash off. If you want to eat, plan it before or after the show: the agency describes the area around the theatre as full of malls, hotels and restaurants.

Access and mobility

The theatre's own pages don't describe step-free access inside the building, so ask the operator before you book if you use a wheelchair or can't manage stairs. Hujialou station lists exits C and E as accessible, and exit C is the one for the theatre. The theatre has lower and upper seating areas, which is worth mentioning when you ask. A seating chart is among the photos on the GetYourGuide booking, and the page asks you to check where your seats are.

Who this isn't for

This is not for anyone who wants a story or dialogue: it is variety acrobatics, so a Peking Opera show with English subtitles suits you better. It is not for visitors who need confirmed step-free access, because the pages we read don't say what is offered. It is not for travellers staying at airport or remote-area hotels who plan to rely on pick-up, since the agency's own pick-up excludes them. And it is not for anyone who needs an exact start time months ahead, because times follow the season.