Acrobatics
Chinese acrobats are justifiably world famous, their international reputation cemented in no small part by the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe, formed in 1951. While the troupe, one of the world's best, frequently tours internationally, they also perform at home, and an acrobatic show has become one of the most popular evening entertainments for tourists. You can catch your share of gravity-defying contortionism, juggling, unicycling, chair-stacking, and plate-spinning acts at the following stages.
Opera
Shanghai has its own troupe that performs Beijing opera (Jing Xi) regularly at the Yifu Theatre. Beijing opera is derived from 8 centuries of touring song and dance troupes, but became institutionalized in its present form in the 1700s under the Qing Dynasty. The stylized singing, costumes, acrobatics, music, and choreography of Chinese opera often strike uninitiated foreigners as rather screechy and incomprehensible. It helps to know the plot (usually a historical drama with a tragic outcome), which most Chinese do. Songs are performed on a five-note scale (not the eight-note scale familiar in the West), and gongs, cymbals, and string and wind instruments accompany the action on the stage. Faces are painted with colors symbolizing qualities such as valor or villainy, and masks and costumes announce the performer's role in society, from emperor to peasant. Most Beijing opera these days consists of abridgements, lasting 2 hours or less (as opposed to 5 hr. or more in the old days). With martial arts choreography, spirited acrobatics, and brilliant costumes, these performances can be a delight even to the unaccustomed, untrained eye. Regional operas, including the Kunju form, are also performed in Shanghai. Kunju, born near Shanghai in the old city of Kunshan, is the oldest form of opera in China, and Shanghai has China's leading troupe. This opera tradition uses traditional stories and characters, as does Beijing opera, but it is known for being more melodic. Regular venues for opera include:
Symphony Enters Its 3rd Century
The Shanghai Symphony was founded in 1879 to entertain the colonialists, taipans, and other Westerners in the city's International Settlement and French Concession. Known then as the Shanghai Municipal Band, it was the first such music group in China. Over the decades, the Shanghainese embraced it, and Shanghai has produced many world-class classical musicians. After 1900, German Rudolf Buck was its conductor; after World War I, the Italian Mario Paci took over. During World War II, the symphony suspended operations. In 1956, performances resumed; it has held more than 3,000 concerts, produced tapes and CDs, and performed across Europe and North America (including at Carnegie Hall in 1990). Today, it's often judged to be the best in China.
Other Performance Venues
Shanghai is the site of major national and international music, drama, and dance performances nearly every day of the year. The most frequent venues are listed here. In addition, local and international dramatic productions are often mounted at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, Anfu Lu 288, Xuhui (tel. 021/6433-5133), and at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Huashan Lu 630, Jing An (tel. 021/6248-2920, ext. 3040), where experimental plays are sometimes presented.
Buying Tickets
Check the entertainment listings in the free English-language papers for tourists and expatriates such as the weekly 8 Days (www.8days.sh), and the monthlies that's Shanghai (www.thatssh.com), City Weekend (www.cityweekend.com.cn), or Shanghai Talk. Tickets for all arts performances can be purchased at their individual venues, or at the Shanghai Cultural Information and Booking Centre, Fengxian Lu 272 (tel. 021/6217-2426 or 021/6217-3055; www.culture.sh.cn; daily 9am-7:30pm), northeast of the Shanghai Centre, behind the Westgate Mall, as well as online at the above Web address. Tickets for the Grand Theatre can be purchased directly at their box office (Renmin Da Dao 200; tel. 021/6372-8701), and movie tickets can be bought at the cinemas. If you don't wish to do it yourself, your hotel concierge may be able to secure tickets for a fee.
