Show ticket
Entry to the Chongqing 1949 show, about 75 minutes at the Chongqing 1949 Grand Theater. Start times are in the calendar, and the ticket is marked skip the ticket line.
See dates ↗The show
A show and a building made together
A theatre built for one show
Chongqing 1949 plays in its own building in the Ciqikou area of Shapingba, on the west bank of the Jialing River. The designers give a total construction area of about 25,000 square metres, and China Daily reported that the production premiered there in 2021. The architects' account says the building was completed that year. The theatre and the show are one project, not a performance moved into an older hall.
What immersive means here
The set does not stay in front of you. The stage is a set of rotating rings, five of them according to the producer, and a travel guide to the show says the outer two carry both performers and audience. The ticket text describes a 360-degree rotating stage joined to the auditorium, with 3D sound and a panoramic audio-visual display. The story reaches you from different directions as the rings turn, and what you see depends in part on where you sit.
The story, as the production tells it
The play is set in Ciqikou on the eve of Chongqing's liberation in 1949, in the production's own wording. An encyclopedia entry lists four threads: the conflicting choices of three brothers, prisoners held at Zhazidong and Baigongguan, an underground rescue effort and the children of the prison. Those two prison sites in the Gele Mountains are now museums. Treat the show as a stage drama built on that history and told from its makers' point of view.
The turning stage
Five rings, five places
According to the show's producer, the stage is made of five rings that turn independently, changing the scene as they move. These are the places the ticket text says the rings carry you through.
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The wharf
Stilted houses above the river
The first world is a wharf town: wooden stilted buildings and stone steps, built at full scale around the audience. The ticket text mentions the damp air of the dock and the calls of vendors from the old street, delivered through 3D sound.
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The ship
A hull that rises beside the river
A huge ship hull rises slowly from one side of the stage under blue light, with the sound of waves. The ticket text ties the image to the revolutionaries' decision to set sail on the Jialing River.
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The brothers
Three brothers, three positions
The three Lin brothers confront one another in different areas of the rotating stage, and the audience turns with the rings, so each argument is seen from another side. An encyclopedia entry lists their conflicting choices as one of the play's four threads.
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The prison
Iron bars and the sound of boots
The prison scenes are set in Zhazidong. The ticket text lists iron bars and the leather boots of guards on stone slabs among the set and the sound. Zhazidong and Baigongguan, the two sites the play draws on, stand in the Gele Mountains and are now museums.
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The child
A wild flower at the window
In one scene a child in the prison holds a wild flower and looks up at the iron window, and the ticket text says the starlight above the stage slowly falls. The encyclopedia entry lists the children who survived imprisonment as a thread of the play.
A travel guide says rings one to three hold the main scenery and rings four and five hold both audience and action. The production decides the order and the detail of its scenes, treat this as a map of what the show says it stages, not as a running order.
The theatre
The theatre, in four facts
The building is part of the show, so it helps to know what it is and where it stands.
- Where it is
- No. 999 Jinbi Zhengjie, Ciqikou, Shapingba District, Chongqing. Show your driver 重庆1949大剧院. The show's visitor guide warns that this is not the Chongqing Grand Theatre, which is a separate opera house in Jiangbei.
- How big it is
- The designers give a total construction area of about 25,000 square metres and a capacity of 1,500. China Daily said the theatre can accommodate nearly 1,500 people.
- How it looks
- The architects describe a curved curtain wall with a red theme, wrapped around a red relief wall of the numerals 1949 in different fonts.
- What it draws on
- The interior designers say they drew on mountain-city features such as a hanging foot tower, old brick walls and staircases, reinterpreted with modern design techniques.
The city outside
Chongqing after dark
Photographs of Chongqing's riverfront at night: Hongya Cave, the stilt-style complex on the Jialing River, its bridges and its skyline. They show the city outside, not the theatre's interior.
The ticket and its extras
The ticket and what you add to it
| Option | What it is | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Show ticket | Entry to the Chongqing 1949 show, about 75 minutes at the Chongqing 1949 Grand Theater. Start times are in the calendar, and the ticket is marked skip the ticket line. | People who only need the performance and plan their own route there. |
| English headset | A translation device rented at the theatre. The ticket text says rental is free with a deposit of 150 yuan per person, paid in cash, by WeChat Pay or by Alipay, and refunded on return. | Visitors who do not follow Chinese and want the dialogue explained. |
| Turning or fixed seats | A travel guide describes seats that turn with the stage in the front sections and fixed seats behind them. The ticket text calls the rotating stage optional, so check what your date offers. | Choose turning seats for the full effect and fixed seats for a steady view. |
Book the show
The Chongqing 1949 ticket
The ticket below opens the Chongqing 1949 show at its own theatre in Ciqikou. The calendar on the booking page has the final word on dates, start times and seat options.
More evenings and days out in Chongqing
Before you go
Before you go
Find the right theatre
Search 重庆1949大剧院 in your map app and show the same name to a taxi or ride-hailing driver. The Chongqing Grand Theatre is a different building, and the metro station to look for is Ciqikou.
Arrive early
The show's visitor guide advises being there 30 minutes or more beforehand, to find your seat, rent a headset and see the lobby. The performance runs about 75 minutes with no interval.
Your entry code
The ticket page advises having a WhatsApp or WeChat number and warns that the QR code on the GetYourGuide voucher is not the entry code. The correct code arrives by chat and by email, so follow that message.
Headset and deposit
English translation devices are collected at the main lobby reception. The ticket text asks for a deposit of 150 yuan per person, returned when you hand the device back. Some guests find the audio hard to hear, so read the story outline first.
Phones and cameras
Photography and videography are not permitted during the performance, according to the show's visitor guide. Take your pictures of the building and the lobby before the show.
Start times
Starting times appear once you check availability, and that calendar is the only schedule that counts. Choose a date that leaves you time to reach Ciqikou without rushing.
Guides to the show, Ciqikou and the rivers
Guides to the show, Ciqikou and the rivers
Booking Chongqing 1949 show: how to book
How to book the Chongqing 1949 immersive show: what the ticket covers, seats that turn or stay fixed, English headsets, and who the show is not for.
Read the guide → Getting there How to get to Chongqing 1949
How to reach the Chongqing 1949 Grand Theater in Ciqikou: the address in Chinese for your driver, the Grand Theatre mix-up, arrival time and the rules inside.
Read the guide →FAQ
Before you book: your questions
How long does the show last?
The ticket page gives 75 minutes, and some other sources say 70. The show's visitor guide says there is no interval. Each date in the calendar has its own start time.
Is there English at the show?
Not in the performance. The theatre rents English translation headsets, and the ticket text says the rental is free with a deposit of 150 yuan per person. Some guests find the audio hard to hear.
Do I need to understand Chinese?
No. The show's visitor guide says its visual and emotional content crosses language barriers. Reading the four story threads in the story guide beforehand makes the headset easier to follow.
Where is the theatre?
No. 999 Jinbi Zhengjie, Ciqikou, Shapingba District, Chongqing. It is not the Chongqing Grand Theatre, a separate opera house in Jiangbei.
Are photos allowed?
Not during the performance. Photography and videography are not permitted, according to the show's visitor guide. Take pictures of the building and the lobby before the show.
Do the seats really turn?
A travel guide says some seats turn with the stage and others are fixed. The ticket text calls the rotating stage optional, so check the options for your date on the booking page.
What if the QR code on my voucher does not work?
The ticket page warns that the GetYourGuide QR code is not the entry code. The correct code is sent by chat and by email after you book, so follow that message.
What is the show about?
It is set in Ciqikou on the eve of Chongqing's liberation in 1949, as the production tells it. An encyclopedia entry lists four threads, from three brothers' choices to the children of the prison.
An evening on a stage that turns, in a theatre built for one show beside the Jialing River.
Book the Chongqing 1949 show ↗The fare on this page is per person in US dollars; the booking page converts it into your own currency.