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Stories Set in Beijing
Palace eunuchs, hutong bicycles, opera schools and Olympic stadiums — Beijing layers dynasties like hutong courtyards. These ten span the Forbidden City to sci-fi; filter the city's stories by era on StoryTerra's map.
Open Beijing on the StoryTerra map10 famous stories set in Beijing
Live snapshot of the top 10 most popular catalogue items (2026-09-04). Click any card to open this entry on the live map.
Browse 24 books, 58 movies and 4 games set in Beijing.
The Last Emperor
A dramatic history of Pu Yi the last of the Emperors of China from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication his decline and dissolute…
The Karate Kid
Twelve-year-old Dre Parker could have been the most popular kid in Detroit but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying but the cultural differences make…
Farewell My Concubine
Abandoned by his prostitute mother in 1920 Douzi was raised by a theater troupe. There he meets Shitou and over the following years the two develop an act entitled "Farewell My Concubine" that brings them fame and…
Spy Game
On the day of his retirement a veteran CIA agent learns that his former protégé has been arrested in China is sentenced to die the next morning in Beijing and that the CIA is considering letting that happen to avoid an…
Flavors of Youth
The rigorous city life of China while bustling and unforgiving contains the everlasting memories of days past. Three stories told in three different cities follow the loss of youth and the daunting realization of…
A Writer's Odyssey
Kongwen Lu is the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager also named Kongwen on a quest to end the tyrannical rule of Lord Redmane under the guidance of a Black Armor. But through a strange twist of…
The Spy Gone North
South Korea 1993. An agent of the National Intelligence Service is sent to Beijing to infiltrate a group of North Korean officials with the ultimate goal of obtaining information about their nuclear program.
Varda by Agnès
An unpredictable documentary from a fascinating storyteller Agnès Varda’s last film sheds light on her experience as a director bringing a personal insight to what she calls “cine-writing” traveling from Rue Daguerre in…
Man of Tai Chi
In Beijing a young martial artist's skill places him in position to experience opportunities and sacrifices.
In the Heat of the Sun
The film is set in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. It is told from the perspective of Ma Xiaojun nicknamed Monkey a teenage boy. Monkey and his friends are free to roam the streets of Beijing day and night…
The 10 stories above are just a sample of the 86 in the catalogue for this entry. For the full live catalogue, open Beijing in the StoryTerra app. On the live map you can also filter by the exact time the stories take place — any year, decade or century, from BCE to the future.
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