16 excellent things to do in Beijing this December

Know more, do more this December

Incredible stage shows, chart-topping musicians and breathtaking art are just some of the things December has in store for Beijing, and with Christmas and New Year's Eve also nearly here, make sure you get all your buying, eating and drinking in at the best spots around Beijing. Time to get festive.

Christmas in Beijing

Searching for present ideas or just an excuse to drink lots of mulled wine with friends in the name of festivity? Mark your calendars with these upcoming wintry fairs and markets across Beijing and scan the QR code below for our full round-up of all things Christmas in Beijing. 

Elias + Einar Stray Orchestra

DDC. Tue 4. 80RMB; 60RMB (presale).

Swedish singer-songwriter Elias has garnered attention for his emotive lyrics and melodies, creating a spacious and sensitive brand of pop complemented by his smooth voice. He's backed in Beijing by Einar Stray Orchestra, a Norwegian indie-pop group with a folky feeling, influenced by the likes of Sufjan Stevens and Bright Eyes.

This Will Destroy You

Omni Space. Fri 14. 150RMB; 120RMB (presale).

Sounds like a pretty intimidating invitation for a Friday night out, we know, but expect only your emotions to be destroyed by these Texans' moving post-rock soundscapes, rousing swells and ambience. Still not sure what post-rock is? Check out our primer on the genre from three Beijing post-rock outfits.

Safia

Omni Space. Sun 16. 200RMB; 160RMB (presale).

Australian three-piece indie-poppers Safia hail from Canberra, an unlikely source of new music Down Under. Beginning life in 2012 and initially consisting of two bedroom producers, Ben Woolner (vocals) and Michael Bell (drums), the duo soon expanded to include the synth and guitars of Harry Sayers to complete the trio. They jokingly describe their sound as 'Skrillex and James Blake making sweet, tender love'. 

Diplo

One Third. Tue 11. 150RMB.

Major Lazer's co-creator and lead member Thomas Wesley Pentz is probably better known for his professional moniker, Diplo. The award-winning DJ has collaborated with some of the world's best, including Sia, MIA, Gwen Stefani and Skrillex. Best known hits? You've probably heard of 'Where Are Ü Now', 'Lean On' and 'Light It Up', to name just a few songs whose streams have clocked the millions.

Gunnar Haslam

Zhao Dai. Fri 14. Tickets tbc. 

This NYU grad trained in particle physics before hurtling through the black hole into the musical dimension of DJing. Now a fixture in New York's underground, Haslam spins techno, ambient and acid to create mysterious sounds that are as high energy as the elements he knows so well.

Aquaman

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 7. 

The latest DC superhero to get a Justice League spinoff is Jason Momoa's Aquaman. With the powers of Atlantis ready to resurface and take over dry land, our half-human, half-Atlantean hero must use his badass trident to quell this submarine revolt from his aquatic motherland. Also starring Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman and Patrick Wilson.

The Grinch

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 14. 

The Grinch is back, free of the grip of Jim Carrey, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch and, in Grinch terms, a bit less grinchy (ungrinchy?) than you might expect. British actor Cumberbatch plays the Grinch as a grouchy American, all prissy and nasal and mischievous, but with a sad, soft aspect too – a side of his character amusingly winked at in a scene where he plays 'All By Myself' at home on a huge organ. He's a grump, of course, but this is the twenty-first century, so he's a grump with issues and a bit of a backstory.

Searching

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 14. 

What to call this fiercely original movie? A Facebook thriller? A Google noir? Its missing-girl mystery plays out almost entirely on screens, using social media apps and chatrooms instead of dive bars and dark alleys. The footprints being followed here are the digital kind, of course, and they're all the scarier for that. You'll walk away with a new awareness of just how exposed we all are to malign forces online.

Deadpool '2'

In cinemas around Beijing from Fri 21. 

Currently unnamed in China, Deadpool the second features foul-mouthed, funnyman Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool) as he assembles a team of misfit mutants to help protect a young boy. Though the film opened to rather amazing reviews and box-office takings, the film to be shown in China has been cut from the R-rated original to a nice, peachy PG-13 rating. Hopefully still as good, without the gratuitous gore?

Vision and Reflection: Photographs of China in the 19th Century

Tsinghua University Art Museum. Until Mar 31. 20RMB. 

American antique collector Stephan Loewentheil owns the largest private collection of Chinese historical photographs outside of China, but this exhibition sees some of the finest return to China, to be exhibited for the first time in Beijing. 120 rare early photographs of the nation will be on show, featuring masterpieces captured in the nineteenth century by both Chinese and international photographers, among them acknowledged masters of the period, as well as unexpected gems by anonymous photographers and lesser-known figures. Highlights include the earliest photographs of Beijing, majestic landscapes from further afield and portraits from the late Qing dynasty.

Another Way of Telling

Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. Dec 8-Jan 6. 60RMB. 

Featuring over 100 works from two of the UK's leading documentary photographers, Anna Fox and Karen Knorr, Another Way of Telling shines an acerbic light on social issues of today. Combining works from various series, the exhibition uses humour and satire to reveal Britain's, and the world's, contemporary society – seeing class, gender, self-awareness and attitude norms through the two women's piercing eyes. As Three Shadows writes, 'the mix of carefully observed reality and consciously constructed illusions, is embodied in the work of Anna Fox and Karen Knorr, described here as "another way of telling".'

Gone with the Wind

Beijing Exhibition Center. Tue 4-Sun 9. 180-1,080RMB. 

The world premiere of the English-language musical version of Gone with the Wind comes to Beijing this weekend. Set in 1860s Georgia, Gone with the Wind follows the story of the 17-year-old Scarlett O'Hara, the eldest of three daughters living a life of luxury on her father's plantation. But when President Lincoln demands the end of slavery in the South and the Civil War begins, Scarlett's life is changed forever, and the beginning of an incredible journey through both war and peace is mirrored in her turbulent relationship with Rhett Butler.

The Lord of the Rings in Concert

Beijing Exhibition Center. Tue 18-Wed 19. 280-1,280RMB.

The Lord of the Rings comes to Beijing in concert with The Fellowship of the Ring performed first. Howard Shore's majestic scores are brought to life by China's National Opera House Symphony Orchestra, creating the soaring, thrilling vistas of Middle Earth through music while scenes from Peter Jackson's award-winning film play behind. Experience the fellowship's quest in person, with all the sweeping, operatic greatness it deserves.

Revel's World of Shakespeare

Long Fu Theatre. Fri 21-Sat 22. 80-280RMB. 

A perfect one-man show that chronicles American writer, actor and director Joseph Graves' own experiences at London's Chelsea School for Boys under the tutelage of Clive T Revel, a tyrannical, alcoholic professor who saw Shakespeare as a religion (if not a cult), pressing his young charges into terrified service.

Tap Dogs

Poly Theatre. Thu 27-Mon 31. 180-880RMB. 

This Aussie tap-dancing crew breathe new life into a time-honoured genre by mixing nimble feet with thumping live sounds. Dein Perry's Tap Dogs returns to the stage with its trademark blend of live music and tap dance as you've never seen before. Described as 'positively electrifying' by The New York Observer and 'the hottest show on legs' by our pals at Time Out London, this toe-tapping dance extravaganza heads to Beijing this December for a night to remember.

For more great things to do in Beijing this month, plus all the details for the above events, hit 'Read more'. 

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