Want to go back to the golden age of Andy Warhol’s pop art? Or take a look at rare relics from the Three Kingdoms Period? These and more family-friendly art offerings are on display in Beijing’s creative spaces this month.

Andy Warhol Authorizes Tour Exhibition, until Jan 12

Covering an area of 3000 square meters at the Bird’s Nest, Andy Warhol’s Art Exhibition features more than 146 of the real art pieces, portraits, movies, and magazines from 1930s to 1980s. As a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art, Andy Warhol is also famous in China. He took thousands of photos during his three-day trip to Beijing in 1982, including the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square.

RMB 50 above. Daily 11am-8pm. Exhibition Hall L, Bird Nest Cultural Center, 1 South National Stadium Road, Chaoyang District. 北京市朝阳区国家体育场南路1号（鸟巢文化中心L展厅）

“Big Cat, Small Cat – Cats Related Creating Exhibition”, until Feb 9

The exhibition features more than 100 cat-themed paintings and sculptures by a number of gallery partners and 37 Chinese and foreign artists. Among them, illustrator Guajila, who is famous for drawing cats, has more than 20 paintings on display.

RMB 48 above. Daily 10am-6pm. Sum Art Museum, Zone D of 798 art district. 798艺术区D区 末匠美术馆

The 58th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, until Mar 8

The exhibition focus on the work of artists from different countries who challenge existing habits of thought. Art of this kind grows out of a practice of entertaining multiple perspectives, incompatible notions, and juggling diverse ways of making sense of the world. Under the theme “Interesting times”, you will have a general approach to a view embracing both pleasure and critical thinking.

RMB 60 above. Tues-Sun: 10am-6pm. Guardian Art Center, 1 Wangfujing Street. 王府井大街嘉德中心 (8592 8266)

Da Sheng Dun Huang, until Mar 29

The exhibition showcases 100 exhibits including a replica of Mogao Cave 285, virtual caves, a digitised monumental mural of Mogao Cave 61, artefacts and archives, interactive multimedia installations, and audio-visual programs, to offer a unique museum experience that allows visitors to learn about the history and art of the Dunhuang Caves.

RMB 80 above. Tues-Sun: 9am-5pm. The China Millennium Monument Century Hall. 9 Fuxing Road, Haidian District. 北京市海淀区复兴路甲9号 中华世纪坛大厅 (8418 7900)

Records of the Three Kingdoms – Special Cultural Theme Exhibition, Jan 23 – April 19

The Three Kingdoms period began around 1,800 years ago amid the chaos of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). The exhibition features 170 precious relics from the Three Kingdoms period, selected from 10 provinces in China. Through the collaboration and hard work of both Chinese and Japanese experts, it presents a visible Three Kingdoms from the political, economic, military, cultural, and other aspects.

RMB 50 above. Tues-Sun: 9am-5pm. F2, The China Millennium Monument. 9 Fuxing Road, Haidian District. 北京市海淀区复兴路甲9号 中华世纪坛二层 (8418 7900)

Art Nurtures Life: Celebrating 100 Years of Wu Guanzhong, until May 3

Considered to be one of the greatest modern Chinese painters, Wu Guanzhong believed “Art Nurtures Life”. To celebrate the centennial of Wu Guanzhong’s birth, the exhibition displays 111 pieces of his art work. The exhibition is divided into three parts: Kite with an Unbroken Line, Form Is an Artist’s Lifeblood, and Style Is an Artist’s Silhouette.

RMB 20. Tues-Sun: 9am-5pm. F1 Exhibition Hall, Tsinghua University Art Museum, Tsinghua University, No.30 Shuangqing Lu, Haidian District. 清华大学艺术博物馆一层展厅

Photos: courtesy of event organizers

San Guo Sha (三国杀 or “Killers of the Three Kingdoms”) is a popular Chinese board game set in the Three Kingdoms period. The rules of the game follow the rules of Bang!, a world-famous card game inspired by spaghetti westerns. How’s that for East meets West?

Ages: 8 and up
Type of game: Card/board hybrid
Number of players: 2-10

Basic Rules
Each player plays one of four roles: lord, loyalist, rebel, or spy. As the game begins, each player must randomly draw a “role card” to determine their role. Whoever draws the “lord” card must reveal their role card to the rest of the players. Those who draw other roles must keep them hidden until they are defeated over the course of the game. Different roles have different victory conditions:

• The lord must survive and defeat all rebels and spies;
• The loyalist must prevent the lord from dying, and kill all the rebels and spies;
• The rebel must kill the lord;
• And finally, the spy must kill all the loyalists and rebels, then the lord.

Over the course of the game, each player is dealt three “hero” cards. Each hero has a different ability and is loyal to one of the three warring states of the period: Wei, Shu, or Wu. After the players have each selected one hero from the ones they have drawn, players draw cards in an effort to defeat players from the opposing team. Some cards are weapons, some are utilitarian, some allow you to attack, some allow you to defend, and so on.

Game Over:  Each character has 3-5 health points. Every time you are successfully attacked, you lose a health point. If you run out of health, you are defeated and thus taken out of the game. As mentioned above, each role has its own victory conditions. The game also ends immediately if the lord is killed or all the rebels and spies are killed.

For more Chinese game spotlights, check out our posts on Dou Dizhu and Chinese chess.

Photo via paopaoche.net