Beijing Traditional Opera Museum is located in the Huguang Chamber at Hufangqiao in Xuanwu District. It was officially established and opened on September 6, 1997. It is the 100th Museum built up by Beijing Municipality.

Huguang Chamber was first established on Jiaqing 12th Year of Qing Dynasty (the year 1807), which includes a series building like big opera tower, Xiangxian Memorial Hall, Wenchang attic, Baoshang Hall, Chuyuan Hall, "Miss Somebody in the Wind and Rain" Chamber and etc. It was once the gathering place of the students from Hunan and Hubei Provinces to participate the imperial test in Beijing and the businessmen from the some place. It has a long history and profound culture connotations.

Meanwhile it also has the excellent Beijing Opera culture tradition. It is qualified to be entitled as talents gathering place. In the period of the Republic of China, the great Beijing opera master, Tan Xinpei, Yu Shuyan and Mei Lanfang once made their performance in this place. So it became a famous traditional opera performance place at that time.

In 1912, the great revolutionary pioneer, Dr. Sun Yat-sen came to Huguang Chamber for five times and addressed his politic speeches. And on August 25, 1912, he presided over and held the Founding Conference of the Kuomintang.

In order to better carry forward the integrative functions of the traditional opera research and popularization, the big opera tower Huguang Chamber was opened at first in the spring of 1996. The famous artists from Beijing Opera Theater come to the opera tower and make their excellent traditional performance every night.

The basic exhibition of the traditional museum is "Beijing Traditional Opera Brief Histroy", it displays Beijing traditional opera developing history that mainly focused on Beijing Opera to the spectators through its precious traditional opera literatures, cultural relics, pictures and sound and image documents. The exhibition works includes the precious collecting works like "The Teacher Recognizing Picture" of the Beijing opera maters, Wang Yaoqing and Mei Lanfang, the costume of martial actor master, Yang Xiaolou and etc.

After you have learned about the history of Beijing traditional opera, then enjoy the excellent performance in the Big Opera Tower with a cup of tea, you will feel the endless happiness.

Traffic route: Take bus Nos. 6, 14, 15, 25, 102 or 105, get off at Hufangqiao station.

Ticket Order: 010- 63518284, 63510019 63529134 

Ticket for Opera: 100-380 yuan (US$12-45.6) including tea and imperial pastries at evening; 10-30 yuan (US$1.2-3.6) at Sunday’s daytime.

(China.org.cn)