Beijing's Best Events That Won't Leave You Hungover, Jul 23-29
Our Events Watch series aims to highlight happenings that aren't focused on alcohol and drinking, but instead take a more educational or productive approach. Events include comedy, talks, networking events, markets, and dinners.
Monday, Jul 23
BECC Free Chinese and Culture Lesson
Join the Beijing Expat Chinese Club (BECC) every Monday night for an evening of Chinese, calligraphy, and cultural exchange. Chinese volunteers will be on hand to guide you through and make sure your stroke order is up to snuff, as well as allowing nuanced culture-specific interaction that you may not get elsewhere. Free. 8-9pm. The Bookworm
Tuesday, Jul 24
Art Lecture "Art Is More"
Wudaokou's 706 Youth Space hosts art historian, art critic, and former museum director Jan Laurens Siesling for a discussion about the relationship between art and the public in the 21st century, specifically how art has become part of the mass culture and what the public's place is in this evolution. He says: "The public is rather good willed and docile, it visits more and more expensive museums in never equaled numbers and stands hours in line for well-publicized costly exhibits," though "It has excluded art from the great questions of its life." Free. 8pm. 706 Youth Space
Wednesday, Jul 25
Abstraction as Painterly Rhetoric: A Case Study Between Germany and China
PIFO Gallery hosts the 11th annual Abstract Art exhibition, posing works from German and Chinese artists against each other and comparing the influence that Germany's strong tradition of abstract art has had on local artists and vice versa. Free. Until Sep 2, 10am-6pm (closed Mon). PIFO New Art Gallery
Thursday, Jul 26
Let's Dance! Let's Swing!
Head to The Bookworm this Thursday for some post-hump swing dancing. The speakers will be blasting the jazz hits from the 1920s to 1940s, urging participants to get up and dance with friends and strangers alike courtesy of fast-changing movements and diverse rhythms. RMB 50 (includes a drink). 8-9.30pm. The Bookworm
Friday, Jul 27
Dancing Notes: New Works by Pang Tao
Pang Tao's artistic career spans seven decades and is credited for her part in aiding China's cultural revival following the societal destruction caused by the Cultural Revolution. Always having to toe the line between her scholarly profession at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and her need for experimentation, Pang uses bold colors to help subvert audience and cultural expectations. Read our recent review of the show here. RMB 10. Until Nov 11, 11am-6pm. Inside-Out Art Museum
Saturday, Jul 28
'Midnight in Peking' Walking Tour
Bespoke Travel Company pick up where Paul French left off, guiding groups through the twists and turns of the author's bestselling murder mystery Midnight in Peking. Historian Lars Ulrick Thom helps to bring 1930s Peking back to life, following the footsteps of the father of Pamela Werner, the 19-year-old whose body was found at the base of the Fox Tower, as he frantically searches for clues to a mystery that was never solved. The walking tour is followed with a cocktail at Nuo Hotel. RMB 388 (includes one free cocktail). 6.30-9.30pm. NUO Hotel Beijing
Sunday, Jul 29
Michael Tilson Thomas with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America
Not hungover? Reward yourself this Sunday with an evening of classical jams courtesy of American conductor Michael Tilson Thomas (pictured above) who'll direct French master pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. The program will include Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F Major and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major. RMB 180-800. 7.30pm. National Centre For The Performing Arts (NCPA)
These events and many more can be found via our Events page here.
Images: baktog.tistory.com, courtesy of the organizers, TED
