Art beat in January

A hero's dilemma

The National Theater of China's year-end production salutes a Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) hero who saved Confucian texts for future generations. Fu Sheng, the Confucian scholar, risked his life to save one of the Five Classics, Shang Shu, by hiding it in a wall, from a burning campaign launched by China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang, to eliminate dissent. In the play, the story is slightly altered to create dramatic tension. Instead of hiding Shang Shu in the wall, Fu memorized the whole book without telling anyone else. It is an overly confident and seemingly thoughtless move that later blurs the line between selflessness and selfishness. When protecting his own life and the treasured text in his head becomes the top priority, he has to, in an agony of remorse, sacrifice the lives of his loved ones.

7:30 pm until Jan 5. National Theater of China, 277 Guang'anmenwai Dajie (Street), Xicheng district, Beijing. 400-6101-101.

Groundbreaking artists remembered

During the war-ravaged 1930s and '40s, a group of artists, including Zhang Da - qian, Chang Shuhong and Dong Xiwen, embarked on a journey to the remote parts of western China, a cradle of Chinese civilization and a historical melting pot of Eastern and Western culture. They gained unique experiences by interacting with ethnic groups and were artistically inspired by the magnificent landscapes. Their works unveiled the mysteries of western China's incredible cultural treasure trove, especially the legacies of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Their discoveries inspired future generations of artists to further explore the west. This important moment in Chinese art history is marked by an exhibition titled Go to the West at the National Art Museum, with a selection of 170 ink-and-color paintings, oils, prints, sculptures and comic strips from the museum's collection.

9 am-5 pm, until Jan 9. National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie (Street), Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.

- Lin Qi