看京剧(kàn jīng jù) - to watch Beijing opera in Mandarin

看京剧 (kàn jīng jù) means to watch Beijing opera, the traditional Chinese theatre form that combines singing, acrobatics and elaborate costume. 京 (jīng) here refers to the capital, Beijing, and 剧 (jù) means drama or play.

看京剧 (kàn jīng jù) is less an everyday hobby phrase than 看电视 (kàn diàn shì, "to watch TV") or 看电影 (kàn diàn yǐng, "to watch a film"); it usually signals a cultural outing, a visit to a theatre, or a topic in a lesson about Chinese traditions and festivals.

Foreign learners and tourists are often taken to see 京剧 (jīng jù) as a cultural experience, so the phrase turns up regularly in textbook units on culture and heritage.