Located at the end of the Long Corridor in the Summer Palace, the Hall for Listening to Orioles was constructed by Emperor Qianlong for his mother as a theater. The hall has a two-story theater stage. Its name comes from the metaphor which compares the sound of oriole to beautiful music.

In 1860, it was burned down by the Anglo-French force. Then the theater was relocated to the Garden of Virtuous Harmony during its reconstruction under Emperor Guangxu. Empress Dowager Cixi used to watch opera there before the reconstruction was completed. Now, the Hall for Listening to Orioles is a restaurant exclusively serving imperial cuisine. More than 100 heads of state and heads of government have dined here, making it a notable imperial cuisine establishment in China.