Performances

Yanshan Theater (Fangshan)

The Yanshan cultural square in Fangshan District greets visitors with shows from Ha'erbin Children Art Theater, Beijing Song and Dance Troupe, Beijing Peking Opera House, Yanhua Art Troupe.

6 Gangnan Lu, Yanshan, Fangshan District

Take Bus 917 to Wanning Bridge, and change to Yanshan Bus 2 or 7 to Yanshan Theater; or take Bus 952 or 616 to Liangxiang Beiguan Station, and change to Fangshan Bus 37 to Yanshan Theater

Fan Tao directs

Under the baton of Fan Tao, the symphony orchestra of China Broadcasting Performance Arts Troupe presents a series of concerts for the Olympics.

7:30 pm. Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhuajie, Xicheng District

6605-7006

The singing emperor

The musical show Terracotta Warriors was first staged in Vancouver in 2003 and has been performed in Canada, America and Hong Kong 240 times.

It narrates the story of emperor Qin Shihuang who unified the country in the Qin Dynasty (BC 221-206).

7:30 pm. Beizhan Theater, 135 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Xicheng District. 6831-6677 ext 2638

Solo cello

Cellist Zhu Yibing's solo concert includes such programs as Swan, Polish Dance and Operatic Aria.

7:30 pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park, Northwest of Tian'anmen Square. 6559-8285

Exhibitions

Glory of sports

Games and Athletes in the Ancient World, is underway at the Beijing World Art Museum. On display are the cups of champions from ancient games, which date back 2,480 years. Unearthed from an athlete's tomb in Taranto, Italy, they show the glory of sports and ancient Athens. The three champion cups and a replica belong to one athlete who won titles in four events, including long jump, discus, boxing and horse-drawn war chariot.

9 am-5 pm. Beijing World Art Museum, China Millennium Monument, A9 Fuxinglu, Haidian District. 6851-3322

State gifts

An exhibition features more than 300 gifts presented by foreign government officials to Chinese state leaders in the past six decades. Highlights include: a pair of porcelain swans that the former US President Richard Nixon presented to Chairman Mao Zedong in 1972; a wooden elephant statue bequeathed by the Thai premier to Deng Xiaoping in 1978; and a blue and white porcelain vase that Boris Yeltsin gave Jiang Zemin in 2001.

8:30 am-5:30 pm. Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution, 9 Fuxing Lu, Haidian District. 6681-7166

Traditional touches

Taiwan artist Hsu Yu-jen makes innovative contemporary ink paintings in his current series named Wordless in Tranquility. Hsu's work includes geometric patterns and lines, including squares, circles, triangles, parallel lines and even tiny points, to bring forth his ideas.

10:30 am-6:30 pm. Expol-Sources Art Space, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 6431-4793

History of coins

This exhibition of the 4,000-year history of Chinese currency narrates the evolution from shell coins in Shang (BC 1600-1100) and Western Zhou (BC 1100-771) dynasties, to the unified coin with a square hole, since the Qin Dynasty (BC 221-206), to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The technology of coin minting is also on show.

9 am-4 pm. Beijing Ancient Coins Museum, 9 Deshengmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District. 6201-8073