What's on in Beijing (Dec 23-29)

Rhinoceros in Love (Mandarin)

Popular avant-garde theater director Meng Jinghui's experimental work Rhinoceros in Love (performed in Mandarin) has entered its 18th year of production since its Beijing debut in 1999. It's been touring around major cities in China for years, and hailed as "the bible of love for young people."

The titular animal is an allegory for the human spirit. The play tells a story about a man named Ma Lu falling in love with a woman named Mingming and does everything he can for her. When he fails to win her heart, Ma, as stubborn as a rhinoceros, ends up kidnapping Mingming in the name of love.

Learn more here.

If you go:
2:30 pm; 7:30 pm, through Feb 11. Fengchao (Honeycomb) Theater, Dongzhimen Outer Street (200 meters East of Oriental Ginza), Dongcheng district. 400-610-3721. Ticket: 160-380 yuan
Musical version: through Jan 14. Beijing Comedy Theater, 11 Chaoyangmen North Street, Dongcheng district. 400-610-3721. Ticket: 88-688 yuan