Capturing the scene...

阅是楼, the Stage to See What It Is

Forbidden City, Beijing

大戏楼, The Great Stage  

Summer Palace, Beijing

豫园古戏台 , the Ancient Stage at the Yuyuan Garden 

Originally built in the late Qing Dynasty, in a hall for affluent merchants, it was relocated to the Yuyuan Garden in the twentieth century. 

Performances of Kunqu and Jingju were staged here. 

Shanghai

湖广会馆大戏楼 , the Theater at the Huguang Hall 

Stage and audience area, furnished with tables and chairs that more closely reflect the experience of traditional teahouses. Originally, spectators sat facing sideways to the stage rather than directly toward it, as the main attraction was the consumption of tea and snacks such as sunflower seeds; watching the performance was at times incidental. 

Beijing

The museum located in the Huguang Hall presents the history of Jingju and its most renowned figures, showcasing costume pieces, photographs, records, and interactive content. 

梅兰芳大剧院, Mei Lanfang Grand Theater, 

headquarters of the National Peking Opera Company (中国国家京剧院) 

Views of the building’s exterior, a statue honoring Mei Lanfang (the company’s first president), and the stage. 

Beijing 

Museum of the Beijing People's Art Theater (北京人民艺术剧院) 

Founded in 1952, the Beijing People's Art Theater rejected Peking Opera and focused on huaju. Among its most renowned playwrights are Cao Yu, Tian Han, and Guo Moruo. Over the years, the company has also staged numerous productions of Western plays.

Its museum—located at the company’s headquarters and open to the public free of charge—houses a wide array of materials documenting the company’s legacy and performances, including costumes, set objects, manuscripts, playbills, posters, scale models, photographs, audiovisual content, and personal belongings of its playwrights and performers. 

Beijing 

戏曲中心, the Xiqu Center

Inaugurated in 2019, the center is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of xiqu, with a particular emphasis on Cantonese Opera (粤剧), the most popular form in the Hong Kong region.

It houses a training school for young actors and offers theatrical performances, exhibitions, and a range of educational programs aimed at audience development, including children. 

Hong Kong 

Hong Kong Heritage Museum

The museum explores the history, arts, and culture of Hong Kong.

An entire wing dedicated to Cantonese Opera (粤剧) features scenarios reproducing its stage dynamics, along with costumes, sets, scale models, handbills and programs, musical instruments, as well as  audiovisual materials with recordings of performances. 

Hong Kong 

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Founded in 1984, the Academy offers undergraduate and graduate programs in various performing arts courses, including the xiqu. 

Hong Kong 

National Peking Opera Company (中国国家京剧院), 

performance at the São Pedro Theater, in São Paulo, on November 21, 2025. 

The performance was part of the official program commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the People’s Republic of China. 

Artists' dressing room, São Pedro Theater

São Paulo