Three-style ballet

The National Ballet of China will stage Russian choreographer George Balanchine's classic three-act ballet, Jewels. Premiered in 1967, the ballet production is in three parts, Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds, which represent the artistry of the French, American and Russian schools of ballet. The National Ballet of China premiered the production in 2019 to mark the company's 60th birthday. The symphony orchestra of the company will play under the baton of its artistic director Zhang Yi, with a program of French composer Gabriel Faure's orchestral suites Pelleas et Melisande and Shylock, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 3 in D major.

7:30 pm, Nov 20 to 22. National Center for the Performing Arts, No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Tale of the Grand Canal

The Grand Canal, dating back to the 5th century BC, is the longest artificial waterway in the world. It consists of three sections built in different periods connecting Beijing and Hangzhou, in East China's Zhejiang province, unifying the powerful northern and the fertile southern regions in ancient China. Paddling for A Thousand Miles, an exhibition now underway at the National Museum of China in Beijing, navigates the excavation and development of the Grand Canal, which stretches some 2,700 kilometers. The exhibition running until March 1 shows paintings, documents, artifacts and models, and reviews how construction of the Grand Canal facilitated technological advancements in water conservancy and transportation management. The waterway helped boost the economy in regions it ran through and cultural communications between northern and eastern China. Through the exhibits viewers can glimpse the creativity and wisdom of ancient Chinese.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. Reservation needed. 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6511-6400.