Lao She Teahouse

Lao She Teahouse, named after the great Beijing playwright, has been the capital's cultural living room since 1988. Red lanterns, dark rosewood, and a stage that never goes quiet: Peking opera arias, comic cross-talk, kung fu, and the lightning-fast mask changes of bian lian.\n\nCome for an evening show with tea and imperial snacks, or a lazy afternoon of gaiwan tea and people-watching. It sits steps from Qianmen, and the shows are timed so you can pair it with a stroll of the old city.