13 terrific things to do in Beijing this week

Your guide to the best of Beijing

If you're looking for things to do that please the visual senses, look no further. With both Cats and Stomp on the stages of Beijing this week, as well as Design Week and a whole raft of films and art exhibitions opening, your eyes will be spoilt for choice. 

Beijing Design Week

Various locations. Until Oct 7. 

Denmark consistently ranks among the top countries in the world for happiness, often attributed to the philosophy of hygge. It's a nebulous term usually translated as 'cosy', but one which is perhaps better rendered as 'intentional intimacy' – living spaces and experiences that allow for social connections of the highest order. With Copenhagen as the guest city for this year’s Beijing Design Week, take a moment to cosy up and connect with some of the events on offer this autumn – scan the QR code for more details. 

Book talk: Cities in Science Fiction

The Bookworm. Fri 28. 50RMB (with one free drink). 

The Danish author Kaspar Colling Nielsen talks science fiction cities at The Bookworm this Friday. From Copenhagen to Beijing, he explores the worlds created in literature and how they relate to our modern day metropolises. Can the imagined living spaces of a possible future help us realise what we need in our lives now? To book a seat, scan the QR code below.

Midnight in Peking Walking Tour

Unspecified venue. Sat 29. 388RMB. 

Paul French's New York Times bestselling murder mystery captured imaginations across the world when it was released. Now, with the help of historian Lars Ulrick Thom, Bespoke brings 1930s Peking back to life through a walking tour like no other. As night falls, you'll follow in the footsteps of the victim's father, ETC Werner, as he frantically searched for his daughter, and learn about the shady characters implicated in her killing.

Asian Power

Mix. Sat 29-Sun 30. 260RMB; 200RMB (presale).

The two-day Asian Power rap fest brings some of the best of China and its surrounds to the capital, with old-time Beijing bunch Longjing on the bill, plus US-based Al Rocco, a former Rap of China contestant who was booted off in the show's first round – probably a good thing for him, according to some Beijing MCs.

Noisemaker

Mao Livehouse Wukesong. Fri 28. 260RMB; 150RMB (presale); 380RMB (VIP).

Noisemaker, an alternative nu-metal band from Sapporo, have been mixing rock, metal and hip-hop from their inception. Their first success was reached with the release of their debut LP The 6 matters of the 6 in 2009, and now they head to Beijing to perform at Mao Livehouse Wukesong.

Tim Eitel 

Pace Beijing. Sep 29-Nov 10. Free. 

German artist Tim Eitel paints beautifully composed figurative works produced from clandestinely taken photographs. Combining technical realism with the detachment of a gaze always on the outside, he voices the contemporary human experience in quiet muted tones. This exhibition will showcase the artist’s thought-provoking and ongoing exploration into 'interior space, memory and perception.'

The Heart-Mind Learns from the Eyes

Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. Until Nov 25. 60RMB.

Based in Beijing, Michael Cherney is a successful painter, photographer, illustrator and calligrapher. Using scenes and landscapes from around China, Cherney creates a world on paper that blends both America and China, and modern and traditional. His intricate and delicate work promotes introspection, and the latest exhibition in Beijing will provide a space for thought and meditation.

Ash is Purest White

In cinemas around Beijing. 

Jia Zhangke's romantic epic of gangsters premiered at Cannes to critical acclaim and now finally gets a China release. The story follows Qiao, who is in love with Bin, a local mobster. When a fight erupts between rival gangs, Qiao finds herself involved, firing a shot to protect the man she loves. After five years in prison for her brashly loyal move, she re-enters the world in search of Bin.

Shadow

In cinemas around Beijing. From Sun 30. 

Famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou produces another film that is set to be as mesmerising as his previous works. Set during China's Three Kingdoms era, Shadow is a heavily stylised martial arts period drama. The film brings traditional ink paintings and fighting sequences together into a visually stunning epic. Stars Deng Chao, Sun Li, Zheng Kai and Guan Xiaotong.

The Vagina Monologues

Pink Moon. Thu 27. 50RMB.

Eve Ensler recreates her original play in this movie version of the unforgettable Vagina Monologues. Ensler brings the intimacy of the original readings to the screen with love and creativity, giving you an even deeper look into the background and women interviewed. As The New York Times famously quoted, The Vagina Monologues is 'probably the most important piece of political theatre of the last decade.' See the screening here in Beijing at Pink Moon and get a close-up insight into the thoughts, feelings and opinions of people with vaginas.

Stomp

Poly Theatre. Sep 26-Oct 5. 180-780RMB. 

Matchboxes, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters and more fill the stage with energising beats at Stomp, the inventive and invigorating stage show that's dance, music and theatrical performance blended together in one electrifying rhythm.

Gottlieb Wallisch

Art Centre of the National Library. Sun 30. 100-380RMB. 

Having become the youngest student at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna at the ripe old age of six, Gottlieb Wallisch went on to become internationally renowned for his interpretations of Viennese piano traditions. Coming to Beijing this week, he puts his award-winning fingers to work as he performs his unique and beautiful take on the classics.

Cats

Century Theatre. Until Oct 7. 100-1,080RMB. 

Based on TS Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-running musical Cats is set in a larger-than-life junkyard playground that's home to a variety of feline characters. With spectacular sets, breathtaking choreography and of course, the hit song 'Memory', Cats is a musical like no other.

For more great things to do in Beijing this week, hit 'Read more'.

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