Beijing · Choose your experience
Imperial Costume and Banquet Experiences in Beijing
Beijing has turned its imperial past into two very different products, and they are rarely compared side by side. One is the costume session: a studio dresses you, does hair and makeup, and photographs you against the old city, which is an outdoor shoot costing CNY 1,000 to 1,400 rather than an hourly rental. The other is the imperial banquet: a multi-course meal served in a dining room with staged performances between dishes, generally shorter and much cheaper than visitors expect, from CNY 145 to 498. The gap between those two price bands is the whole point of this list, so check what each venue includes before you compare them.
Quick picks
Beijing Must-Try Ancient Chinese Costume Rental and Photoshoot
First-time visitors who want costume, hair and makeup, photography and a Forbidden City guide in one booking.
Existing catalogue source checked
Yuxiandou Imperial Cuisine Museum: Noble Court Dining Show
Travellers who want to dine while watching music and dance, and see the museum displays as well.
Existing catalogue source checked
Beijing Hanfu Experience and Photo Shoot for Family and Couples
Families with children, couples and travellers who want control over how long the session runs.
Existing catalogue source checked
How I picked these
These options come from the Beijing catalogue and supplied research. The selection answers: Can I dress up and dine like an emperor, and what does it actually cost? Records are filtered before text is written, ranked by documented evidence and language access, then limited to 8 options. Research notes are not proof of a personal visit.
No personal visits are claimed. Classification as an indoor or cultural activity is an editorial mapping, separate from verification of price, language or availability.
Compare the options
| Experience | Best for | Price per person | Activity time | Booking | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Must-Try Ancient Chinese Costume Rental and Photoshoot | First-time visitors who want costume, hair and makeup, photography and a Forbidden City guide in one booking. | RMB 1000 (source checked) | Not confirmed | Required | Low — all three packages include an English-speaking guide. |
| Beijing Hanfu Experience and Photo Shoot for Family and Couples | Families with children, couples and travellers who want control over how long the session runs. | RMB 1400 (source checked) | 150–180 min (check selected option) | Required | Low — an English-speaking guide assists throughout. |
| Yuxiandou Imperial Cuisine Museum: Noble Court Dining Show | Travellers who want to dine while watching music and dance, and see the museum displays as well. | RMB 150 (source checked) | Not confirmed | Required | Low — English service is listed. |
| Imperial Fairyland Chinese Royal Banquet with Stage Performance | Travellers who want dinner and a show in one booking and will pay extra for hanfu styling. | RMB 425 (source checked) | Not confirmed | Required | Medium — service is available in Chinese and English, while the performance is mainly Chinese. |
| PALACE Qianmen: Immersive Ancient Imperial Dining Show | Travellers planning a dinner evening around Qianmen who want stage performance and costume atmosphere. | RMB 145 (source checked) | Not confirmed | Required | Medium — Mandarin and English are listed, but the exact on-site delivery should be confirmed. |
| Royal Cuisine Imperial Banquet with Qianlong-Era Performance | Travellers who want the imperial banquet and date-wood roast duck together and enjoy staged performance. | RMB 498 (source checked) | 90 min (check selected option) | Required | Medium — Mandarin and English are listed, but the exact on-site delivery should be confirmed. |
The experiences
Beijing Must-Try Ancient Chinese Costume Rental and Photoshoot
Dress in period costume with a makeup artist and be photographed near the Forbidden City.
- Best for
- First-time visitors who want costume, hair and makeup, photography and a Forbidden City guide in one booking.
- Price per person
- RMB 1000 (source checked)
- Activity time
- Not confirmed
- Booking
- Required
- Language
- Low — all three packages include an English-speaking guide.
Before you choose: Price supplied by the site owner on 2026-09-23 after reading the product page with CNY selected; until then the listing only rendered in the visitors currency. Duration is still not published anywhere I can read. Three packages exist and the entry-level tier is the one carried.
Beijing Hanfu Experience and Photo Shoot for Family and Couples
Costume, makeup and hair with an English-speaking guide, then an outdoor shoot by the Forbidden City moat.
- Best for
- Families with children, couples and travellers who want control over how long the session runs.
- Price per person
- RMB 1400 (source checked)
- Activity time
- 150–180 min (check selected option)
- Booking
- Required
- Language
- Low — an English-speaking guide assists throughout.
Before you choose: Price supplied by the site owner on 2026-09-23 from the CNY-rendered page. Duration of 150 to 180 minutes is confirmed by the listing, which splits it into roughly ninety minutes of styling and sixty to ninety minutes of shooting.
Yuxiandou Imperial Cuisine Museum: Noble Court Dining Show
Imperial-style dining inside the Yuxiandou museum-restaurant, where costumed performers stage music and dance between courses.
- Best for
- Travellers who want to dine while watching music and dance, and see the museum displays as well.
- Price per person
- RMB 150 (source checked)
- Activity time
- Not confirmed
- Booking
- Required
- Language
- Low — English service is listed.
Before you choose: Read from the CNY-rendered Trip.com page on 2026-09-23: CNY 150 from, join-in, instant confirmation, free cancellation by 5pm two days ahead, 189 reviews at 4.8 and about four thousand booked. Service language is advertised as English.
Imperial Fairyland Chinese Royal Banquet with Stage Performance
A multi-course Chinese imperial banquet served alongside staged music and dance, with optional paid Hanfu styling if you arrive two hours early.
- Best for
- Travellers who want dinner and a show in one booking and will pay extra for hanfu styling.
- Price per person
- RMB 425 (source checked)
- Activity time
- Not confirmed
- Booking
- Required
- Language
- Medium — service is available in Chinese and English, while the performance is mainly Chinese.
Before you choose: Read from the CNY-rendered Trip.com page on 2026-09-23: CNY 425 from, private tour, instant confirmation, Mandarin and English service languages, guests make their own way there. The page suggests arriving two hours early for optional Hanfu styling, which is explicitly at extra cost.
PALACE Qianmen: Immersive Ancient Imperial Dining Show
A new imperial cuisine menu served in step with staged performance at the PALACE venue on Qianmen Street, with paid Hanfu styling available.
- Best for
- Travellers planning a dinner evening around Qianmen who want stage performance and costume atmosphere.
- Price per person
- RMB 145 (source checked)
- Activity time
- Not confirmed
- Booking
- Required
- Language
- Medium — Mandarin and English are listed, but the exact on-site delivery should be confirmed.
Before you choose: Read from the CNY-rendered Trip.com page on 2026-09-23: CNY 145 from, join-in, Mandarin and English, booking requires a second confirmation and cancellation is conditional. 37 reviews at 4.8 and 957 booked. Paid Hanfu styling is offered on site.
Royal Cuisine Imperial Banquet with Qianlong-Era Performance
An imperial banquet staged as a Qianlong-era birthday celebration in the imperial cuisine museum, with jujube-wood roast duck as the signature course.
- Best for
- Travellers who want the imperial banquet and date-wood roast duck together and enjoy staged performance.
- Price per person
- RMB 498 (source checked)
- Activity time
- 90 min (check selected option)
- Booking
- Required
- Language
- Medium — Mandarin and English are listed, but the exact on-site delivery should be confirmed.
Before you choose: Read from the CNY-rendered Trip.com page on 2026-09-23: CNY 498 from, available from 26 September, instant confirmation, free cancellation by noon two days ahead, 178 reviews at 4.9 and about three thousand two hundred booked. Ninety minutes comes from the same product card on the listing page, not from this detail page, and that conflict is carried rather than resolved.
How to choose
- Beijing Must-Try Ancient Chinese Costume Rental and Photoshoot: First-time visitors who want costume, hair and makeup, photography and a Forbidden City guide in one booking.
- Beijing Hanfu Experience and Photo Shoot for Family and Couples: Families with children, couples and travellers who want control over how long the session runs.
- Yuxiandou Imperial Cuisine Museum: Noble Court Dining Show: Travellers who want to dine while watching music and dance, and see the museum displays as well.
- Imperial Fairyland Chinese Royal Banquet with Stage Performance: Travellers who want dinner and a show in one booking and will pay extra for hanfu styling.
- PALACE Qianmen: Immersive Ancient Imperial Dining Show: Travellers planning a dinner evening around Qianmen who want stage performance and costume atmosphere.
- Royal Cuisine Imperial Banquet with Qianlong-Era Performance: Travellers who want the imperial banquet and date-wood roast duck together and enjoy staged performance.
Before booking
- Check the exact product, date, meeting point and language before paying.
- Prices and durations marked “Not confirmed” cannot be used as a firm budget or schedule.
FAQ
Has Chelsea personally tried every option?
No personal visit is claimed here. These previews use existing catalogue evidence and supplied research notes.
Can I rely on every price and time shown?
Only explicitly mapped figures appear. Check the caveat beside each option and confirm the selected package with the provider.
Will I need to speak Chinese?
Language support varies by activity and session. Use the language column, then confirm with the provider before booking.