[2025 Beijing ] Travel Guide for Capital Theater (Beijing People's Art Theater) (Updated May)

Every time I pass by the Capital Theater, I never knew there was a Beijing People's Art Theatre Drama Museum hidden here. It's free and no reservation needed! On weekdays, you can have the whole place to yourself in the afternoon! Don't be fooled by the free admission—the content is incredibly rich. Drama enthusiasts and those interested in learning about Beijing People's Art Theatre and Beijing's drama culture shouldn't miss it! 👉🏻Directions After entering the main gate, walk to the left side of the Capital Theater building and you'll see an inconspicuous small door. Go in and take the elevator directly to the fourth floor. It's so low-key that most people don't notice it. 🗺️Museum Layout It consists of the Prelude Hall, People Hall, History Hall, Repertoire Hall, Stage Design Hall, and Comprehensive Hall. You can follow the clockwise route to tour the entire museum. ✔️The Prelude Hall features a large photo from "Teahouse," a giant optimization of the "42-hour conversation" that birthed the Beijing People's Art Theatre, bronze reliefs of playwrights Cao Yu, Lao She, and Guo Moruo, and a wall displaying all productions performed by the theatre since 1952. ✔️The People Hall is divided into four small halls, each introducing the life and artistic achievements of the four founders. ✔️The Repertoire Hall is the largest, occupying more than half of the entire museum. It's divided into three exhibition halls, showcasing many classic plays like "Thunderstorm," "Teahouse," and "Cai Wenji" in great detail, with photos, props, costumes, and actors' creative diaries that reveal stories from both on and off stage. ✔️Don't miss the two corridors—one with photos of the theatre's veteran artists and another with photos of all generations of actors. It's quite impressive. If you have time, try to find actors you know and like. ✅There's also a place for collecting stamps after Repertoire Hall II. There are quite a few stamps, so stamp collectors shouldn't miss it. ✅The lighting in the museum is a bit dim, and some glass displays cause reflections. Remember to wear glasses if you have poor eyesight. Many exhibits have QR codes you can scan for audio guides. ✅On May 10-11, there will be "Friends of Beijing People's Art Theatre Day" activities, featuring various theatrical performances and events. If interested, search for the official account "Beijing People's Art Theatre" to learn more. ✅Practical Information ⏰Opening Hours: 10:30-19:00 (Closed on Mondays) 🎫: Free admission, no reservation required Transportation: 🚌Buses: Routes 103, 104, 108, 111, Special 11 to "Dengshi West Exit Station" Routes 101, 109, 58 to "Art Museum East Station" 🚇Subway: Exit D/G southwest at Dongsi Station, within walking distance

address: Atmosphere/Facilities: Close to Wangfujing Pedestrian Street and Metro Line 5 feature: Price per person: Convenient transportation, good service attitude Rating: 9 Good transportation location: 1) It was smooth to transfer from Capital Airport Express to Line 5 to Dengshikou Station. The only thing to consider was the luggage. There was a large flight of stairs at the exit, and there were escalators for the next two flights. However, I met a friendly station staff who helped me carry one flight, and later I also met a kind person. 2) It is on Line 5 to Lama Temple and the Forbidden City. Even if you take the bus, you can just walk for a while after getting off (about 10 minutes). The Capital Theatre is even more convenient. After watching a show in the evening, it is very close to walk back to the hotel. 3) Very late... 11pm, you can still buy dinner nearby, which is even better. Hotel service staff: 1) The service attitude of the counter staff (a girl and a man) I met on the last check-out day (2/21) was very good. I was particularly impressed by their kindness. 2) The auntie (Liu Shuiru) who took care of my room for four nights deserves a round of applause. She allowed me to live in a clean and tidy room every day and was very polite and kind. Thank you again, auntie.

The Beijing People's Art Theatre Drama Museum is located on the fourth floor of the Capital Theatre at 22 Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. It is the first professional museum in China to showcase drama art, with an exhibition area of 1300 square meters. In 2007, which marked the centenary of Chinese drama and the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Beijing People's Art Theatre, the museum officially opened to the public on June 12 of that year. The Beijing People's Art Theatre was established in 1952. Since its establishment, it has performed more than 300 plays of different styles from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, forming its own unique style of drama. At the same time, it has accumulated a large amount of valuable artistic materials. The Beijing People's Art Theatre Drama Museum was built on this basis. The museum integrates the functions of collection, research, exhibition, and education, including the entrance hall, history hall, character hall, play hall, stage beauty hall, theory and teaching hall. The rich pictures, manuscripts, stage art models, costumes, and props constitute the main body of the exhibition, which shows the history of the establishment of Beijing People's Art Theatre, the life and artistic achievements of the founders of the theatre such as Cao Yu, Jiao Juyin, Ouyang Shan, Zhao Qiyan, classic plays, theoretical construction, stage art, talent training and other contents. The star-studded artistic image corridor displays the unforgettable artistic images created by several generations of artists in the theatre over the past 60 years. In addition, the museum also regularly holds commemorative exhibitions, special exhibitions and art lectures, sharing the charm of drama art with the audience in various forms.