On December 22^nd, the NCPA will mark the 17^th anniversary of its inauguration with a grand Open Day Festival. The national performing arts centre, the NCPA has adhered to the guidance of XI Jinping Thought on Culture, dedicated to “Art for the People”, sharing cultural achievements with the public and enriching people’s intellectual and cultural activities. This year, the Open Day Festival will be held simultaneously at “a performing arts centre with three locations” - the NCPA, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre and the NCPA Taihu Stage Art Centre, in gratitude for the long-term support and companionship of the audience and society.

The NCPA held a press conference on December 16^th. Attendees, including NCPA Vice President ZHU Jing, renowned composer SHU Nan, well-known soprano Dilber, and Resident Conductor of China NCPA Chorus JIAO Miao, introduced the highlights of anniversary celebrations and announced the events calendar for the Open Day Festival. The conference was hosted by the famous host CHUN Ni.

This year's Open Day Festival stands committed to deliver more diverse artistic experiences for the audience. 14 wonderful performances and 50 varied art activities will extend from the theatre to public spaces, radiate from the NCPA to its three locations, as well as shared online, providing diversified cultural services for more audience members.

The NCPA will host screenings of art films, concerts, and other performances at different halls. In Press Conference Hall and the Arts Library, artists will conduct art lectures, cultural salons, and work sharing sessions with the audience. In public areas, there will be intangible cultural heritage handicraft experiences, song and dance performances, stage character costume displays, flash mobs, book and record releases, 360-degree panoramic photography experiences, and a variety of "art + technology" exploration and experience activities, including AI music composition, photo face-swapping, and animations. The exhibition halls of the NCPA will also present a series of art exhibitions including The Grand Picture of Our Time - Selected Collections from the CAFA Art Museum, Memories of the Ancient City - Beijing Exhibition of Hutong-Themed Artworks, New Look of Arts - NCPA Digital Art Exhibition, etc. The audience can enjoy shopping at the cultural-creative-book market and public-benefit market, and also participate in activities such as commemorative stamps collecting, the digital art archive display screen interaction, and the release of the "Art for the People" stamp album, having a wonderful artistic experience at the NCPA.

The Beijing Performing Arts Centre, situated by the Grand Canal, will also commemorate the 1^st anniversary of its inauguration on December 22^nd. The audience can explore the themed spaces of original plays and enjoy wonderful art popularization performances. At the NCPA Taihu Stage Art Centre, activities such as stage art workshops and jazz concerts will be organised throughout the day.

At 18:00 p.m. on the December 22^nd, the NCPA Classical Music Channel and multiple online platforms will broadcast the 17^th anniversary online special program: The Concert of the Open Day Festival and the NCPA Orchestra and Choir.

In 2024, the NCPA's “a performing arts centre with three locations” model was fully operational, achieving a new high in performance scale. With 11 theatres and 13,000 seats, it has presented over 1,200 performances, ranking among the world's top in terms of artistic offerings. NCPA Vice President ZHU Jing said that 2024 is a landmark year in the NCPA's development. The operation mode of a performing arts centre with three sites were launched and each has distinct positioning and management. We have always adhered to the original intention of serving the people, bolstered cultural confidence, maintained an open and inclusive stance, and persisted in innovation while upholding the righteous path. By catering to the market and diverse demands of the audience, we have introduced a wider variety of cultural and artistic categories, which have been deeply affected by the audience. This has not only boosted the cultural market in the capital but also made significant contributions to the construction of the national cultural centre and international exchange centre.”

In addition, a series of remarkable performances, including the Philharmonix’s Concert, the Stradivari Quartet’s Concert, the "Brilliant German and Austrian Music" concert by NING Feng and Serena Wang Performing Beethoven and Richard Strauss, and the Legend Lives On - The Sound of Light CHENG Fangyuan Concert, will also grace the stages of the three locations.