A Cat’s Legend in the Forbidden City is a dance and music theatre co-produced by China National Theatre for Children (CNTC) and the Palace Museum. 

Based on the eponymous picture book by Feng Li, the president of CNTC and National top-level playwright, the production was made by a talented creative team including renowned composer Li Haiying and National top-level director Jiao Gang. By telling the story through a cat as its main character, the theatre showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Forbidden City, representing Chinese historical civilization and traditional culture to audiences of all ages worldwide.

Since its premiere on December 23, 2023, this theatre production has successfully performed over 50 shows in Beijing, with an audience attendance rate of over 99%. Many enthusiastic fans have attended the show for multiple times, some even up to 4 or 5 times.

Moreover, A Cat’s Legend in the Forbidden City has generated widespread attention across various sectors of Chinese society. It has sparked over 230 million discussions online, with nearly 60 articles published by mainstream media such as People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency. Several articles have been accessed over 1 million times each, while CCTV (China Central Television) news specials related to the topic have more than 200 million views in total. Additionally, there have been over 100 short videos on platforms like Douyin and Weixin Channels, with 2 million views in total.

Playwright Feng Li hopes that this production will inspire people’s interest and longing for a place or a country through the medium of art, like the production of Selma Lagerlöf’s The Wonderful Adventures of Nils and Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. 

She said, “I hope A Cat’s Legend in the Forbidden City can breathe life and warmth into the profound, unfamiliar, and distant historical culture in the hearts of the audience, making it approachable and relatable. I hope it will inspire boundless imagination about the beautiful palace, about friendship and companionship, about memory and history, and about life and eternity, not only among children in China but also worldwide”.Furthermore, she expressed her expectation for the production to become ‘The Cat’ belongs to China, representing China National Theatre for Children, the legend of the Forbidden City, and the essence of traditional Chinese culture to begin a journey in China’s provinces and the world, enabling the world to know more about this country. 

One of the audiences commented, “The music is soul-stirring, and whether it’s the lighting design or the changing stage backgrounds according to different scenes, you can see the dedication and professional skills of the team, no wonder CNTC!”

“A good children’s theatre is not just for children, every adult was once a child, and there is still a inner child in their hearts. A children’s theatre that can be enjoyed together by parents and children is truly a masterpiece, and this production has achieved that”!

A Cat’s Legend in the Forbidden City tells the story of a little cat named Baobei (in Chinese it means baby sweet heart) who lives in the Forbidden City and, due to his deep love to its human companions, travels back in time to the palace in the past, becoming a cat named Xiaodongxi (The little).

By this time, the Forbidden City has become the Palace Museum. Xiaodongxi searches for himself in the newly furnished Palace Museum and seeks the companionship of its former friends. He meets various unique cat friends living in the Palace Museum, encounters friends (they can talk! ) representing different historical memories who have lived here for centuries, and even becomes friends with a curious little mouse named Zizi... in this beautiful palace, Xiaodongxi not only finds his sense of belonging but also becomes a true guardian of the Forbidden City (the Palace Museum).

This is a charming and timeless fairy tale about love and companionship, memory and history, life and eternity, told from the perspective of a cat.

In the spring of 2024, the tour has begun nationwide, leaving behind the Cats’ footprints in Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Shenzhen etc..

Stay tuned!

Edited by Tingyu Wang

International Coordinator

China National Theatre for Children