Traditional Opera Museum

Beijing Traditional Opera Museum, located in the Huguang Guildhall Chamber at Hufangqiao in Xuanwu District, was the hundredth museum built by Beijing Municipality and was officially opened to the public on September 6th, 1997. China boasts of more than 300 local operas, among which Peking Opera is the most popular and regarded as the national opera of China. The museum is an ideal place to travel and visit for those Peking Opera lovers. The Huguang Chamber is the most famous venue where the opera fans can savor the beauty of the highly refined Peking Opera. The Huguang Guildhall was built 200 years ago in 1807 during the Qing Dynasty. However, it was not originally constructed for opera performance but actually meant to serve as an assembly and accommodation venue for people from central China's Hubei and Hunan provinces, such as those who came

to Beijing for imperial examinations and businessmen. It is one of the places qualified to be entitled as talents gathering place and has been the site of many famous operatic performances during the period of the Republic of China, such as the opera masters Tan Xinpei, Yu Shuyan and Mei Lanfang. As well as the excellent operatic traditions, the museum has also been the site for the politic speech of revolutionary pioneer Dr Sun Yat-sen in 1912. Due to the cultural importance of the Beijing opera tradition, the Huguang Chamber opened an Opera Tower in the spring of 1996 to improve both the popularity and research into opera. The tower has been hugely successful. And famous artists come from Beijing Opera Theater visit the tower to make traditional performances every night.

On display in the exhibition hall of the Beijing Traditional Opera Museum are several dozen biographies, cultural relics, and costumes and instruments that trace the history of Chinese traditional opera. The Huguang Chamber was first established on Jiaqing 12th Year of Qing Dynasty, which includes a series building like big opera tower, Xiangxian Memorial Hall, Wenchang attic, Baoshang Hall, Chuyuan Hall, "Miss Somebody in the Wind and Rain" Chamber and etc. It was once the gathering place of the students from Hunan and Hubei Provinces to participate the imperial test and the businessmen from the same place. It has a long history and profound culture connotations. Here's some guide information of the Beijing Traditional Opera Museum
Location: No.3 Hufangqiao Road, Xuanwu District, Beijing, China                Opening hours: 09:00 -- 17:00                Tickets: CNY10         Contact number: 86 10 63518284  8610 63529134