Founded in 1956, China National Theatre for Children (CNTC) is the only national children's art troupe directly subordinated to the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China. The first president of CNTC was Ren Hong.

CNTC has borne the responsibility of inheriting, developing, creating and presenting excellent theatrical performances for the youth, played an important role of representing, demonstrating and guiding in national children's drama. For more than half a century, CNTC has dedicated numerous classic and diverse dramas for the audience and cultivated a large number of distinguished and outstanding artists and performers for children's drama, many of whom are winners of various prestigious art awards in China.

In the past 55 years, CNTC has produced and staged a great number of exquisite works, from ancient to modern, in China and abroad. Though CNTC is Beijing-based, the performance footprints were all over China, even Hong Kong and Taiwan. Besides, CNTC has been to abroad many times for culture and drama communicating, including Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia, Mexico, America, India, Canada, Columbia, Mongolia, France, Thailand and Germany, etc.

Major works created by CNTC early years included Malan Flower, Family of Revolutionaries, The Young Guards, Yue Yun, The Newsboy, Here is the Yard, Twelve Months, Pavel Korchagin, Twinkling Stars, Goddess Patching the Sky-hole and The Moonlight Lullaby. The productions created in recent years are: Cookie Boy, The Little Tadpole Looks for its Mummy, Run, the Little Rabbit, The Dragon Child, Journey to the West, Pippi Long stocking, Sunbird, The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Turn, Turn, Turn, Little Jeep, Absolute Children, Aesop's Fables and Special Homework, Little Prince, The Frog Prince，Cat & Mouse，The little match girl，Adventure of Little Cloth，Final Wish，Chinese Story in pocket，Magic Boat, Three Monks, Peter Pan, Idiom Stories, etc.

China National Theatre for Children is the only state level theatre for children, which was named and inscribed by Comrade Soong Ching-ling. In 2005, on its fourth floor, a special small theatre called “Holiday Classic Theatre” was opened. The two various sized theatres are cross-echoed with classic children dramas presented to the audience every week. CNTC has already been the Art Palace of modern China children’s drama.

An excellent Drama may have direct influence on the children’s life. CNTC will stick to the art principle; devote to developing more talents, producing new excellent dramas to achieve its goal that all for children. “Every child in China has the opportunity to watch children's dramas” is the persistent pursuit of CNTC.

The current president of CNTC is Mr. Yin Xiao dong; Mr. Lei Xining works as Party secretary; the Vice Presidents are also including Mrs. Feng Li，Mr. Shan Zeng hong and Mr. Li Xiao gang; Mr. Yang Fan is the Deputy Secretary of Party and Vice President.