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Hundreds of people, many of them young students and parents with children, immersed themselves in the night market, tasted old Beijing snacks and watched acrobatic performances at Xuannan Cultural Museum, a heritage center situated in the Chinese capital's ancient Changchun Temple, as they waited for a show to get underway.
Exhibition hall in the Xuannan Cultural Museum. /VCG Photo
The museum is in the southern part of the old Beijing city, which, formally known as Xuanwu District, is now part of the Xichang District. Displaying thousands of folk culture relics, traditional musical instruments and classic books and ancient paintings, the museum vividly showcases the long history and rich cultural heritage of old Beijing.
The inscription in the museum by Hou Renzhi, a famous Chinese scholar, summarizes the long history and profound culture of Xuannan, "from the Jicheng of Zhou Dynasty to the Zhongdu of Jin Dynasty, it defined Beijing as an ancient capital from a long time ago."
Other highlights for visitors included an immersive theater show named The Dawn at Changchun Temple, featuring a few stories from the area. It differentiates from traditional theater by removing the stage and immersing audiences within the performance itself.
The immersive theater show The Dawn at Changchun Temple staged in the Xuannan Cultural Museum in Beijing, China. /CGTN Photo
The Dawn at Changchun Temple tells stories of the destinies of all kinds of characters from contemporary Chinese history, such as the renowned thinker of the late Qing Dynasty Tan Sitong, Peking opera singers, or ordinary locals who lived in this part of the Chinese capital city.
The show reflects the stories of characters who once lived in this part of the Chinese capital city of Beijing. /CGTN Photo
The "stages" alternated along with the development of the stories without fixed seats, as the audience followed from the main hall to the courtyard, which provided a memorable experience as if traveling back to a hundred years ago.
The audience watching The Dawn at Changchun Temple in the Xuannan Cultural Museum in Beijing, China. /CGTN Photo
After the last performance of The Dawn at Changchun Temple, Xuannan Cultural Museum will temporarily close to the public and start a new round of exhibitions and displays.
According to staff at the museum, Xuannan Museum will soon reopen, not only with renewed facilities and exhibits but also the introduction of more shows and interactive theater performances.
Location: No.9 Changchun Street, Xicheng District, Beijing