Beijing Roast Duck Dinner and Acrobatic Show with Round Way Transfers - Private

With risky and daring performances, the acrobatic show is a popular form of night entertainment in Beijing that must not be missed. Appealing to all ages, this show will proudly bring together audiences from around the globe. Chinese acrobatic shows combines both physical and spiritual which the acrobat’s immense athletic strength, a perfect balancing and timing by focusing on the mind and the body. 

The Chinese acrobatic shows are based on the following acts: Lion Dance, Cycling Feats, Tight-Wire Feats, Hoop Diving, Wushu, Spring-Board Stunt, Meteor Juggling, Traditional-Style Conjuring and Gymnastics on Double-Fixed Poles. The acrobatic art has been existent in China for more than two thousand years. In the long course of development, the Chinese acrobatic art has formed its own style. The ancient acrobatics stemmed from the people's life and had a close link with their life and productive labour, tridents, wicker rings and articles of daily use such as tables, chairs, jars, plates and bowls were used in their performances.

We then proceed to the Quanjude for our mouthwatering Peking duck. Peking duck is a dish from Peking that has been prepared since the imperial era. The meat is characterised by its thin, crisp skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of diners by the cook.

Ducks are bred specially for the dish and are seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven. The meat is eaten with spring onion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce with pancakes rolled around the fillings. Sometimes pickled radish is also inside, and other sauces (like hoisin sauce) can be used.

Duck has been roasted in China since the Southern and Northern Dynasties. A variation of roast duck was prepared for the Emperor of China in the Yuan Dynasty. The dish, originally named "shāo yāzi" (燒鴨子), was mentioned in the Complete Recipes for Dishes and Beverages (飲膳正要) manual in 1330 by Hu Sihui (忽思慧), an inspector of the imperial kitchen. The Peking Roast Duck that came to be associated with the term was fully developed during the later Ming dynasty, and by then, Peking Duck was one of the main dishes on imperial court menus. The first restaurant specialising in Peking Duck, Bianyifang, was established in the Xianyukou, close to Qianmen of Beijing in 1416.

Two notable restaurants in Beijing which serve this dish are Quanjude and Bianyifang, both centuries-old establishments which have become household names, each with their own style: Quanjude is known for using the hung oven roasting method, while Bianyifang uses the oldest technique of closed oven roasting.

The cooked Peking Duck is traditionally carved in front of the diners and served in three stages. First, the duck skin is served with sugar and garlic sauce as dip. The skin tastes better while remaining warm, but it will cool down fast. The meat is then served with steamed pancakes (simplified Chinese: 春饼; traditional Chinese: 春餅; pinyin: chūn bǐng), spring onions and sweet bean sauce. Several vegetable dishes are provided to accompany the meat, typically cucumber sticks. Some restaurants offer watermelon radish sticks as alternative. The diners spread sauce over the pancake. Traditionally, the pancake is wrapped around the meat and spring onion, then eaten by hand. Cucumber sticks are eaten as refreshment between Peking Duck rolls but can also be rolled in the pancake. The remaining duck (鸭架) can be cooked in three ways. The traditional way is to be cooked into a broth. The meat together with bones can also be stir-fried with sweet bean sauce, or rapidly sautéed and served with salt and Sichuan pepper (椒鹽). Otherwise, they are packed up to be taken home by the customers.