On the evening of February 5th, crowds flowed into the Beijing Art Center as the original West End musical "Singin' in the Rain" commenced its 12-show run. Attendees queued for tickets and entered as usual, but one visitor, Qiqi, was greeted with a surprise by waiting staff—as the one millionth visitor since the center's opening, Qiqi received a commemorative "Beijing Art Center Honorary Audience" medal, a "Cultural Granary" membership card, and cultural creative gifts. This milestone figure encapsulates the memories created together by audiences and the "Cultural Granary."
As a key component of the National Centre for the Performing Arts' "one institution, three locations" strategy, the Beijing Art Center has welcomed one million visitors since its opening in late December 2023. Among these, 490,000 were performance attendees and 510,000 were visitors. The center has also hosted nearly 1,000 research groups from party and government agencies, social organizations, and universities, showcasing the new achievements in cultural development of Beijing's sub-center.
"I have been coming to watch performances here since the Beijing Art Center opened," said Qiqi, who lives in Tongzhou District. She recounted heavyweight productions such as the musicals "Anna Karenina," "Cats," and "Sunset Boulevard," as well as concerts by conductor Valery Gergiev, witnessing firsthand the transformative development of the local performing arts industry.
"Over the past two years, the Beijing Art Center has significantly enriched the cultural offerings of the urban sub-center with over 700 commercial performances and more than 800 artistic events," said Jiang Tao, Director of Operations Management at the National Centre for the Performing Arts Art Center. These events span various art forms including musicals, dramas, dance dramas, and immersive theater, emphasizing a "modern" stylistic positioning while integrating performing arts resources deeply into urban life. Initiatives such as the affordable "Riverside Time Weekend Concerts," which combine performance and lecture elements, and educational activities like the Urban Green Heart Forest Music Week, thematic art weeks, and public space performances leverage the center's spatial advantages, gradually realizing the vision of creating a comprehensive art palace centered on "nature, art, and trendiness."
"The vitality of art lies with the people. It is the understanding, participation, and passion of every audience member that provides the fertile ground for art to thrive and makes the Beijing Art Center a true cultural living room for the city," Jiang Tao remarked.
With the Spring Festival approaching, the Beijing Art Center has prepared a cultural feast. Celebrated artists and troupes will present New Year concerts, quyi (folk art forms), acrobatics, and other festive works during the holiday. "We hope that in the new year and beyond, the Beijing Art Center will continue to add color to the lives of citizens."