The Changchun Grand Theatre is the city's principal performing arts venue, hosting opera, ballet, symphony concerts, and the various performing arts events that a provincial capital of its size supports. The building itself is a significant piece of contemporary Chinese architecture, designed with a visual ambition that the city's older cultural buildings lack.
Performances are listed on the theatre's programme boards and through local event listings. Tickets for major performances are reasonably priced by international standards. The theatre is a practical way to engage with Changchun's cultural life rather than just its history, and the programme tends to include touring productions as well as local companies.