27 terrific things to do in Beijing this week

Photo: 247 Tickets

Have fun rain or shine with another week of great line-up of events

Happy Monday, Beijing! With music, films and parties galore, it's shaping up to be another great week. Read on for our top picks.

As well as these highlights, there are many more things to do in Beijing this week: explore, enjoy and don't forget to Instagram us your snaps with #timeoutbeijing or let us know on Facebook what you really enjoyed.

Boxer Rebellion: Under Siege Walking Tour

Photo: Beijing Postcards

Tiananmen West Subway Station. Sat 3 Aug-Sat 5 Oct (The first Saturday of every month). 3-6pm. 300RMB

Hear the incredible story of the summer of 1900, when 4,000 foreigners and Chinese lived under siege from radical mystic rebels for 55 days. Explore the old Legation Quarter to hear stories about the bombing of the French embassy, the wavering Qing Court and how 200,000 bullets flew into the sky without finding a single target. The three-hour tour ends at a small exhibition curated by Beijing Postcards of original photos and maps.

Beijing Improv Long-Form Performance

Photo: Beijing Improv/The Bookworm

The Bookworm. Sat 3 Aug-Sat 7 Dec (The first Saturday of every month). 7.30-10pm. 85RMB.

Beijing Improv is China's oldest improvised theater organization. Its members come from around the world. Attendees never know what is in store, but there is always the guarantee of a laugh and a good time. Don’t miss this hilarious event.

Exclusive Couple’s Culture Retreat 

Photo: Cultural Keys/247 Tickets

Songzhuang Art District. Sat 3-Sun 4. 9am-7pm. 2,588RMB/per couple.

Connect with Chinese culture and reconnect with your partner at this exclusive weekend retreat held at the Songzhuang Art District. Experience four workshops, including Chinese painting, calligraphy, Taichi, and a ceramics workshop, all which taught by experienced teachers. End off the night with a stay at a beautiful boutique hotel inspired by the Tang dynasty, reserved specially for retreat participants.

NonViolent Communication Essentials Workshop

Photo: NonViolent Communication

Beijing Mindfulness Centre. Sun 4. 10am-6pm. 1,300RMB.

NonViolent Communication is the art of speaking from the heart, finding out what matters and learning to express that in a gentle yet firm voice. It is about transforming conflicts into opportunities to learn, working towards creating greater connection, compassion and peace within ourselves, families, workplace and the world.

Vulture Rock Ridge Loop Hike

Photo: Beijing HIkers

Beijing Hikers. Sat 3. 7am-5.30pm. 360RMB/325RMB for members 

Enjoy great views on this loop hike in the mountains west of Beijing, follow hill trails up to a broad plateau before walking along the high-up Vulture Rock Ridge. From the highest point follow part of a pilgrims’ path through forest, eventually arriving back at the beginning of the trail. Join Beijing Hikers for this unique experience.

First Chinese Culture Renaissance Festival

Photo: Experteas

Shang 8 Li Wenchuangyuan 尚8里文创园. Sat 3. 3-10pm. 35RMB.

Come enjoy a day of festivities and immerse yourself in ancient Chinese culture. Try on Hanfu (ancient Chinese dress) and learn how to make incense and lipsticks. You will also get to catch a beauty pageant where participants don ancient Chinese dresses. The fair will also be selling oolong ice cream, the perfect treat to combat the hot Beijing summer.

Migas Mercado Afternoon Tea

Photo: Migas Mercado

Migas Mercado. Mon 29-Sat 31 Aug. 2-5pm. FREE

Sip tea, or sparkling wine while overlooking the view of Beijing's CBD at Migas. Afternoon tea is offered at Migas, perfect for afternoon catch-ups with friends or family.

Steak & Vino Tuesdays

Mosto. Tue 30-Tue 27 Aug (Every Tuesday). 5.30-10pm. FREE

From 5.30pm every Tuesday, enjoy Mosto's signature beef tenderloin with your choice of side, sauce and a glass of house red for 188RMB. Choose from an array of sides such as the potato gratin, dragon beans or truffled mashed potatoes, and between the classic blue cheese and red wine sauce.

Two-for-one Twosdays at Gung Ho

Gung Ho! Pizza. Every Tuesday. 11am-11pm. FREE

Join Gung Ho! in store, order a pizza, flash a smile and get the second pizza on the house. For deliveries, it's 20 percent off your pie - the deal's better in store, because it's better for the planet.

Anne-Marie

Photo: Anne-Marie/247 Tickets

Tango. Thu 1. 8-10pm. 380RMB/280RMB adv

Anne-Marie was one of pop's biggest breakout stars in 2018, thanks to her worldwide hits 'Rockabye'. In just the past two years, British pop singer-songwriter Anne-Marie has emerged as a popular and acclaimed artist worldwide with her chart-topping singles. Her music style combines a powerful singing voice with a charismatic, exuberant personality. Her confident, catchy anthems often centring around female empowerment. Soon the artist will be joining her fans in China with her summer tour.

Australian Youth Orchestra

Photo: 247 Tickets

NCPA. Wed 31. 7.30-9.30pm. 50-480RMB.

The Australian Youth Orchestra will be performing in Beijing come July 31. They will be led by the acclaimed musical director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Krzysztof Urbański. Performing with them is Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki, who has won international acclaim for his extraordinary interpretive maturity, distinctive sound, and poetic sensibility.

The Aaron Goldberg Trio

Photo: 247 Tickets

Blue Note. Sat 3-Sun 4. 7.30-9.30pm, 10pm-late, 6.30-8.30pm. 240RMB (side seat)/340RMB (table seat).

Hailed by Down Beat magazine for his quick-witted harmonic reflexes, fluid command of line and cut to the chase narrative logic, Aaron Goldberg is one of jazz's most compelling pianists. As a bandleader, Aaron's passion for swing, melody and groove has long been paired with a keen appreciation of other musical cultures.

The Vincent Herring Quartet

Blue Note. Thu 1-Fri 2. 7.30-9.30pm, 10pm-late. 200RMB/280RMB.

Vincent Herring, one of the world's foremost voices on alto saxophone which earned him a spot playing alongside legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey and Freddie Hubbard. The saxophone master returns to the international concert stage with a new quartet of New York jazzmen, pianist David Kikoski, bassist Yasushi Nakamara, and drummer Peppe Merolla. Herring brings his diverse bop and post-bop influences together into a swinging quartet that can easily handle a varied repertoire from sensual ballads to earthy, gospel-tinged blues. The Vincent Herring Quartet delivers the goods on all levels.

UT Insieme Vocale Consonante

Photo: 247 Tickets 

NCPA. Sat 3. 7.30-9.30pm. 50-480RMB. 

UT Insieme Vocale Consonante is an a cappella vocal ensemble consisting of a number of members, from the materialistic to the chamber choir, singers come from different parts of Italy and have a well-established musical and vocal experience as most of them are choral conductors. The ensemble collaborates with some of the world's best known conductors and composers, creating unique concerts to promote contemporary choral music. Join them for an evening of unforgettable music.

Back to the 90’s

Photo: Migas Mercado

Migas Mercado. Fri 2. 10pm-late. FREE

DJ G4 takes you back to this 90's this Friday. A time where Michael Jackson made history in the Super Bowl; Madonna became much more than just a singer, she became a writer, an actress and a sex symbol; technology stirred the music industry up and when The Back Street Boys were adored.

Blackout presents Eduardo De La Calle 

Photo: Eduardo de la Calle/Facebook

Zhao Dai. Fri 2. 10pm-5am. TBA

One of techno’s most intriguing and misunderstood figures is returning to Beijing. Thanks to his constant musical coherence and values, Eduardo de la Calle has gained worldwide respect and reputation inside the underground electronic music scene. His commitment to making uncompromising music is underscored with his spiritual and intellectual journey.

Silent Disco Party By Atmosphere Bar

Photo: Atmosphere Bar

Atmosphere. Sat 3. 8.30pm-late. 198RMB

Atmosphere Bar will be hosting a silent disco party, on the 80th floor of the China World Summit Wing right here in Beijing. Enjoy a private disco at Atmosphere Bar, with two DJs playing different music that guests can choose from just by changing the channels on their headphones.

Next Gen

Photo: Next Gen/Netflix

Cinemas around Beijing. 29 Mon Jul-26 Mon Aug.

Next Gen is a 2018 science fiction animated film based on the online Chinese comic 7723 by Wang Nima. A friendship with a top-secret robot turns a lonely girl's life into a thrilling adventure as they take on bullies, evil bots and a scheming madman.

Papillon

Photo: Papillon/Czech Anglo Productions

Cinemas around Beijing. 29 Mon Jul-26 Mon Aug.

Wrongfully convicted for murder, Henri 'Papillon' Charrière forms an unlikely relationship with a fellow inmate and quirky convicted counterfeiter Louis Dega. Together, they attempt to escape from the notorious penal colony on Devil's Island.

Papillon The Snow Queen: Mirrorlands

Photo: The Snow Queen/Central Partnership

Cinemas around Beijing. Opens Fri 2.

After a powerful king nearly loses his family because of the Snow Queen's evil deeds, he finds a way to ban all the magic from the world. All possessors of magical powers are trapped in Mirrorlands. The only one that can stop him and keep the fairytale alive is Gerda. With faith in kindness and friendship, Gerda embarks on a new adventure with the help of trolls, pirates and even the Snow Queen herself.

La Vie en Rose

Photo: 247 Tickets

Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Centre. Wed 31. 7.30-9.30pm. 99-880RMB

The show narrates the rags-to-riches story of Parisian singer Edith Piaf's career through her unforgettable songs. Complemented by a visual tapestry of previously unreleased photographs and images of famous Parisian locations of the Edith Piaf era, let French vocalists Anne Carrere and Nathalie Lermitte take you on an evening through Piaf's unforgettable tunes.

The Librarian 

Photo: The Librarian/247 Tickets

Super Theatre. Fri 2-Sun 4. Various time. 120-280RMB

For the last 25 years, Paul-Émile Dumoulin has worked in a municipal library. He is serious, proud, though terribly clumsy. The shelves must be impeccable, publications carefully organised. But beware, when his passion for books gets a hold of him, he can’t help but plunge, head first, into their stories. The Librarian is overwhelmed with acrobatics, performing feats of balance, juggling, break dancing and beat boxing, acted through multidisciplinary artist Hyppolite.

The Long March

Photo: NCPA/247 Tickets

NCPA. Various dates. 7-9pm. 160-880RMB.

The Long March is an opera commissioned by the NCPA in memory of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army's victory in the Long March. The opera, adapted from the true history of the Chinese Workers, faithfully recreates the hardships that were suffered during the Long March. Catch the retelling of this poignant event in Chinese history.

Water Reflection Dance Ensemble: Pollard Script

Photo: Water Reflection Ensemble/247 Tickets

NCPA. Various dates. 7.30-9.30pm. 120-240RMB

Founded in March 2001, the Water Reflection Dance Ensemble is a modern dance company based in Taipei. Known for their fusion of ballet and modern skills, they are oriented towards the creation, performance and education of dance. Working with artists from different disciplines to create new dance performances, they have been hailed as one of the most outstanding performing groups in Taipei.

Bowie by Mick Rock

Photo: 247 Tickets

798 Art Factory. Mon 29 Jul-Sun 29 Aug. 88RMB/120RMB adv  

Between 1972 and 1973, as David Bowie was redefining glam rock as the androgynous alien rock star Ziggy Stardust, fellow Londoner Mick Rock was the musician’s official photographer. Catch snapshots of 65 rare Bowie moments, from the extraterrestrial fashion outfits on album covers to intimate dressing moments and private performances.

Picasso Birth of a Genius

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art. Mon 29 Jul-Sun 1 Sep (Except Monday). 138-188RMB  

Arriving this June, 'Picasso – Birth of a Genius' is the most significant exhibition of work by Pablo Picasso ever to take place in China. Offering a comprehensive overview of the first three decades of Picasso’s career, the exhibition includes 103 works drawn entirely from the collection of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, tracing Picasso’s development from childhood to middle age and promising an in-depth insight into the life of one of the most influential artists in the history of modern art. 

Santiago Alemán: Natural Light

Photo: Santiago Alemán/Jitu Gallery

Jitu Creative Space. Mon 29 Jul-Sun 11 Aug. FREE

Spanish artist Santiago Alemán opens his exhibition ‘Natural Light’ at JITU Creative Space this weekend showcasing his paintings from his stay in China. Among them the series ‘Fiat Lux (Let There Be Light)’, ‘Intentions’, ‘Lux Tribus’ and ‘Green Skin’.

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