Tonglexuan

Tonglexuan

Destination Introduction

In 1985, Beijing’s first “panoramic cinema” was built at No. 1 Dazhalan, Qianmen, on the north side of the central road — the former site of the “Tongle Cinema.” The predecessor of Tongle Cinema was the “Tonglexuan” theater.

Tonglexuan was built in the mid-Qing Dynasty and was originally called a “teahouse.” Like many other teahouses in Beijing at the time, it mainly sold tea, along with storytelling, opera, and folk performances. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was converted into a theater commonly referred to as a “theater house.” Tonglexuan covered a small area and was slightly smaller in scale compared to the nearby Guangdelou Theater to the west, but had a similar design, with the stage facing south. It could accommodate seven to eight hundred spectators.

However, because both the stage and backstage areas were rather cramped, it wasn’t very suitable for large-scale theatrical performances, so major theater troupes rarely performed there. Usually, it hosted mostly smaller-scale traditional performances, acrobatics, and variety shows. During the Republican era, it was simply renamed “Tongle Cinema” and became primarily a movie theater.

In the late Qing Dynasty, various teahouses across Beijing were gradually converted into theaters to adapt to social development and business needs, such as the famous “Guanghe Theatre,” “Zhonghe Theatre,” “Qingyue Theatre,” and others. Only Tonglexuan remained “unique,” retaining the name “Tonglexuan.” To distinguish it from the others, this particular “Tongle” was named with the character “Xuan” (pavilion).

Location: Located on Dazhalan Street, outside Qianmen

Convenient transportation with multiple bus lines including 120 and 22 stopping directly nearby.

Chongwen District, Beijing