Located on the western side of the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing, China's newly completed National Grand Theater, with its unique shell structure, looks like a transparent pearl surrounded by an artificial lake. Its interior consists of an underwater corridor, an olive-shaped hall, a public hall, and three major halls designed for opera, music and drama performances.
A perfect blend of Chinese elements and modern design
Entering from the northern gate, visitors will first find themselves in the 80-meter-long underwater corridor, flanked on both sides with exhibition areas. Above the glass ceiling is an artificial lake which casts down glimmering ripple shadows, creating amazing patterns combined with bubble-shaped decorations on the wall.
The corridor ends at the "olive hall," which gets its name from its huge olive-shaped interior. Its doors are heavy and graceful, each bearing 180 round-shaped doornails – a modern version of those on ancient Chinese imperial doors.
The public hall possesses the largest arched roof in China – large enough to house the whole Workers' Gymnasium. The arch is made of brazilwood, in a deep red hue that appeals to traditional Chinese tastes. The stone flooring, dubbed the "splendid landscapes," is divided into 22 sections using precious materials made at home.
The 2,398-seat opera hall, designed for large-scale opera and dance performances, and bathed in gorgeous golden light, represents the most magnificent part of the Theater. The stage can be pushed, moved, lifted, lowered or rotated swiftly; and can accommodate swift changes in lighting.
The music hall is white and solemn. It functions as a performance hall for large symphonies and national music; and has 2,019 seats. China's largest organ can be found here; it holds more than 6,500 pipes to meet the demands of various music schools.
The 1,035-seat drama hall is used for both traditional and modern stage plays. It is decorated using a rich, Chinese style; and the world-class stage can be raised or lower, and rotated at the same time.
Reasonable ticket prices to keep it within public reach
The Theater will be ready for 23 trial performances from September 25 to October 13, according to Deng Yijiang, spokesman and deputy president of the Theater.
The performances will cover opera, ballet, national dance, drama, Peking opera and Kunqu opera. The first audience will also be carefully selected. It will include builders of the project and residents who were relocated to make room for the construction.
Later, an international festival season will follow, scheduled between December and next March. There will be 183 performances: 30 percent being foreign operas and 70 percent domestic. Artists from more than ten countries and regions including Russia, the US, France, and Italy will gather here.
Wang Zhengming, vice president of the theater, gave assurance that artistic standards will not be lowered to keep the halls busy. On the other hand, performances will be selected to cater to various audience demands, instead of being too "classical" to be within reach, according to dance Art Director Zhao Ruheng.
An aim of the theater is to offer reasonable ticket prices for the general public, sources have said. Market rules will be considered, but a unique advantage—subsidies from the government - will help keep the prices even lower than those at other theaters, so that money will not stand in the way of people and art.
By People's Daily Online
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