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For those of who want to put on nice suites and appreciate the lighter more uplifting side of culture, Shanghai offers western and eastern classical music, acrobatics, opera, and other forms of entertainment.
The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra was once one of the earliest assembled orchestras in Asia. Originally known as the Shanghai Public Band, it developed into a full orchestra in 1907, and was renamed the Shanghai Municipal Council Symphony Orchestra in 1922. Through the early leadership of Italian conductor, Mario Paci, the Municipal Council Symphony Orchestra laid the foundation for China's symphonic music tradition by both promoting western music and training young Chinese talent. The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has been slowly gaining more recognition in music circles, especially since the release of its Oscar and Grammy winning sound track for the movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The orchestra usually performs at theShanghai Concert Hall.
Visitors and expats do not have to travel back home anymore to enjoy shows like "Cats", the Three Tenors, and "Les Miserables" in new-state-in-the art theaters and auditoriums. In the realm of popular music, in recent times Shanghai has had trouble attracting anyone other than Mando-pop or Canto-pop stars to entertain its young Chinese music fans. But now, western rock, rap, and pop performers are beating down the doors, anxious to bring their music and their acts to Shanghai's shores.
If are looking to be thrilled and amazed by gravity-defying stunts, or feats of jug-gling, chair-stacking, and plate-spinning, then perhaps you should head out to see circus. One group worth mentioning is the internationally-renowned Shanghai Acro-batic Troupe, which now performs at its new home in the Shanghai Circus World. Performances are held Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm. Check with your hotel for current schedules and tickets.
Appearing in the 1920's, these acts are usually one-person shows. Performers speak in Shanghai or Zhejiang Provincial dialects and utilize exaggerated movements. If you are interested in Shanghai culture, you definitely want to catch one of these performances. Even if you do not fully understand what the actors are saying, you can still enjoy the dexterity of their movements and the audience's good cheer. Shanghai-style farces can be seen at the Lyceum Theater and Majestic Theater. Ticket prices usually run between 10 RMB and 30 RMB.
Tickets for all arts performances can be purchased at the individual venues, or at the Shanghai Cultural Information and Booking Centre. Located at 272 Fengxian Lu, northeast of the Shanghai Centre, the Shanghai Cultural Information and Booking Centre can be reached at 021 -62172426.
Tickets for the Grand Theatre can be purchased directly at its box office at 200 Renmin Dadao. (telephone: 021-63728701). Movie tickets can be bought right at the cinemas. If you do not have the energy to do it yourself, you should be able to get your hotel to help you purchase tickets for you. Expect to be charged a small fee.
Shanghai Concert Hall (上海音乐厅)
Located at 523 Yan'an Donglu; to get here, take the subway to the People's Square subway station; telephone: 021-64604699 and 021-63869153. Come here for performances of western classical music.
Shanghai Grand Theatre(上海大剧院)
Located at 300 Renmin Dadao; to get there take the subway to the People's Square station; telephone: 021-63728701 and 021-63728702.
This gigantic theater seats nearly 2,000 people. This is where the big names come to perform. Tickets range from the 50 RMB to the thousands for the superstars.
Shanghai Grand Stage(上海大舞台)
Located at llllCaoxi Beilu, inside the Shanghai Stadium; take the subway to the Shanghai Stadium station;telephone: 021-64385200 and 021-64384952, ext. 2567. If you are looking to enjoy catching a rock and pop concert then this is the place for you.
Majestic Theater(美琪大戏院)
Located at 66 Jiangning Lu; to get there take the subway to the Shirnen Yi Lu sta-tion; telephone: 021-62174409 and 021-62172813.
Catch Chinese Opera performances in this ornate old theatre. Tickets are bit pricey, ranging from 80 RMB to 580 RMB.
Lyceum Theater (兰心大戏院)
Located at 57 Maoming Nanlu; to get there take the subway number one line to the Shaanxi Nanlu station; telephone: 021-62178530 ext. 210,021-62564738 and 021-62172426.
Lyceum Theater was originally home to the British Amateur Dramatic Club, or ABC. ABC held mainly English language plays for Shanghai's British citizens, but there were also occasional performances of local plays, music, European dance, and traditional opera. Occasional movie screenings were also held here. Renowned Chinese musician, Mei Baiqi, and Peking Opera legend, Mei Lanfang both performed here. Today, you can enjoy music performances, the symphony, Peking Opera, and Shanghai farce performances at the Lyceum Theater. Ticket prices change depending on the performance. Some of the less expensive performances usually average 50 RMB per ticket. Suzhou storytelling and ballad singing usually only cost ten to 30 RMB.
Heluting Concert Hall (贺绿汀音乐厅)
Located at 20 Fenyang Lu; to get there take the subway to Shanxi Nanlu; telephone: 021-62130162.
Located inside the Shanghai Music Con-servatory, the Heluting's design refers to the Vienna Golden Music Hall for its auditory effect. There are music performances held daily and ticket prices range from 20 RMB to 120 RMB depending on the performance. There are music stores nearby selling mostly pianos.
Yifu Theatre(逸夫舞台)
Located at 701 Fuzhou Lu; to get there take the subay to the Henan Zhonglu station; telephone: 021 -63514668 and 021 -63225294. Come for the Chinese Opera performances. Tickets run 10 RMB to 500 RMB.
Shanghai Circus World(上海马戏城)
Located at 2266 Gonghe Xin Lu; telephone: 021 -56656622 ext. 2027. A must visit for those that want to see the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe. Performances are usually held Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm. Call for information on current scheduling and tickets. Tickets run 80 RMB to 580 RMB.