The dome
Titanium and glass.
xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · docsdl — CC BY 2.0 · xiquinhosilva — CC BY 2.0 · HALUK COMERTEL — CC BY 3.0 · Unusduotres — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dan Lundberg — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · EditQ — CC BY-SA 4.0
Beijing's national arts centre, known as «the Egg», a titanium-and-glass dome by the French architect Paul Andreu that opened in 2007 just west of Tiananmen Square; 212 m long and about 46 m high, it rises from a shallow artificial lake and is entered through a passage beneath the water. Under the shell are an opera house, a concert hall and a theatre, with exhibition spaces between them, and performances range from Chinese and Western opera to ballet, symphony concerts and Peking opera; the building is at its most beautiful at dusk, when its glow is mirrored in the lake. Without a show ticket, a visit costs CNY 30 from September to April and CNY 40 from May to August, from 9 am to 5 pm, last entry 4.30 pm, closed on Mondays; a performance ticket includes entry, per visitor guides.
Titanium and glass.
Beneath the lake.
Opera or music.
West of Tiananmen Square, Xicheng District
Tiananmen SquareA vast square in the heart of Beijing, named after the Tiananmen, the «Gate of H9 minutes walk4.5
National Museum of ChinaThe museum of art and history on the east side of Tiananmen Square, in a vast co13 minutes walk
Liulichang Culture StreetA street of grey-brick shops in Xicheng, south-west of Qianmen, named after a gl14 minutes walk
Qianmen Street and DashilarThe old commercial quarter south of Tiananmen Square, where Qianmen Street runs 17 minutes walk
Forbidden CityThe imperial palace complex in the heart of Beijing, built between 1406 and 142019 minutes walk4.7Yes, any performance ticket includes entry to the building; without a show, a visitor ticket costs CNY 30 to 40 by season, per visitor guides.