On July 4, 1986, Luciano Pavarotti toured Beijing and became the first foreign artist to stage a solo concert at the nation’s Great Hall of the People. Although grand in size and majestic in structure, the Great Hall was designed to serve political meetings, not opera performances. Even so, the late great Italian tenor forged ahead with his powerful voice. After his performance, relishing in the long-lasting applause of the Chinese audience, he announced to the Chinese leaders on hand: “I have fallen in love with your country.”
Twelve years later, after China’s social progress entered an important and vital stage, the leaders of China expressed a common desire to enable all citizens to better enjoy the outstanding cultural achievements that may be realized concurrent economic development, and the state formally commenced construction of the National Grand Theater (NGT). In April 1998, the design phase of the massive project was put out for global bid.

Looking up.

It was an average day when French architect Paul Andreu learned of the pending evaluation process while reading China Daily on the way to a meeting in Shanghai. He was greatly intrigued, and saved the newspaper, even though at that moment he might not have planned to submit a proposal.
But he did. After several rounds of assiduous appraisal and screening, Andreu and his design won out over 68 other concepts. Since then the massive rising domed structure has generated much debate among Chinese people, and the past decade has brought praise and critiques.
On September 25, 2007, now complete in structure, a first trial run show was staged at the NGT. The event generated a big buzz, and many looked forward to taking a closer look at the futuristic building, with a style so different from its neighboring structures in the heart of Beijing.

National Narrative
October 1, 2007, on the 58th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic, we entered the Theater House of the NGT to enjoy the classic Chinese play, Teahouse. And we realized, that no matter what was one’s preconceived opinion of the building, the moment you enter you will be overwhelmed by a sense of grandeur and glory.

The golden-hued Opera House. by Xuxun

In the underground entry corridor, overhead is a glass ceiling, through which one can see the rippling water of a man-made lake that covers an area of 35,500 square meters encircling the building. The NGT has no gate above the ground, and its main entrance is underground to the north.
The ground is paved with bluestones, effusing a pristine ambience. Ending the 80-meter-long entry corridor in the south is an oval-shaped hall in a size equivalent to a basketball court, known as Olive Hall. Beginning here, visitors will sense the scale and design of the NGT. The floor is composed of 24 varied stones, differing in pattern and hue, thus the name “Ground of Splendor.” These fantastic stone materials, all of China earth, were brought from widespread regions. Above is the ceiling of the 46-meter dome, partially adorned with wine-red wood imported from Africa. The material is in the primary color of the Forbidden City, just north and across Chang’an Avenue, and it was the Forbidden City that inspired the designer to choose red as the dominant hue for the NGT interior. The other half of the dome is an arch-shaped steel and glass ceiling, which offers a view of the sky. Escalators on both sides of the Olive Hall lead upward to a public rest lounge, which is the largest within the NGT. In line south to the lounge are the venues: the Concert Hall, the Opera House, and the Theater House.

Grand Grace

A model of the National Grand Theater layout. Center: Opera House; left: Concert Hall; right: Theater House. CFP

Like us, many were not so eager to immediately enter the halls. Instead, they walked around, taking it all in, occasionally exclaiming appreciation for the grace and grandeur of the place. Despite the large crowd, thanks to the noise-alleviating design, the environment was placid, with very little resounding noise.
The problem of how to mitigate the noise of rain hitting the huge dome, about 10 times the size of a soccer field, was once much obsessed over by the developers. Based on experiments at Tsinghua University, they finally determined a satisfactory solution. Experiments revealed that if there were no effective noise-prevention design, when rain strikes the dome, it would produce a thunderous sound. So employed was a technology that effectively prevents both extraneous exterior sounds from reaching the halls and interior sounds intruding from other halls.
The Opera House accommodates 2,416 seats in three tiers. When we stepped in, it had just emptied after a showing of the classic Chinese ballet, Red Detachment of Women. With the curtain open wide, I could see deep into the stage. Spanning 32.6 meters in width, the stage can accommodate any of the large-scale operas and ballets known in the world. On the left and right sides and behind the central stage are three smaller stages, offering room for stage control. Ten meters beneath the central stage is an arena designed especially for ballet performances.
The Opera House, with golden yellow as the dominant hue, is equipped with state-of-the-art acoustic technology, ensuring a highly efficient transmission of sound to every corner of the auditorium. Due to the superior acoustics, voice amplification technology will not be employed, and such a design meets the international standards of a professional theater.

Local residents were invited to attend the first trial show staged at the National Grand Theater. CFP

Then we entered the Concert Hall, in which interior improvements were not yet completed. Viewed from upstairs, in the center of the audience seating, the orchestra pit and contiguous areas appear solemnly white. At the wall opposite to the main auditorium is a pipe organ, which some say is the largest in Asia. The organ’s pipes number more than 6,500, the thickest being 80 centimeters in diameter and the thinnest as slim as a human’s little finger. The massive instrument is capable of meeting the performance demands for music in varying genres. The relief-like abstract design on the ceiling of the Concert Hall, resembling waves washing upon a beach, is said to be derived from a random drawing created by Andreu. Yet, testing has revealed that those wavy patterns actually produce a more optimal sound effect.

Finally, we were seated in the Theater House, anticipating the rise of the curtain. All of the 1,040 seats were occupied. The walls of the hall are adorned with ethnic-flavored Hangzhou-produced silk cloth, in more than 20 kinds of red. Having been processed with special technology, the silk pieces are more effective in the transfer of sound, while also being resistant to flame.

Workers form the dome. IC

Before that day’s show, I read up on the Theater House, learning that the hall may host the most sophisticated of stage productions in the world. The 13 elevating platforms and two auxiliary platforms enable the stage to rotate while lifting or descending. To fully exhibit almost every detailed facial impression of the performers, the range of visibility between the central position at the middle of the three tiers and the stage curtain is only 22 meters, so that even the audience seated in the farthest distance would be able to see clear the actors’ expressions.
Teahouse is a classic novel attributed to noted writer Lao She, and for many years adaptations have been staged at the Beijing People’s Art Theater. The prelude had begun, but I could hardly concentrate, because I was obsessed with this question: Even 20 years ago, much less 50, could we have constructed a theater on so grand a scale? Indeed, this feat required not only financial power, but also a much broader, more inclusive vision.

Theater Thematic

The red-hued Theater House. by Xuxun

The cost of the NGT, more than 3 billion yuan, has been the focus of much public discussion. And, as an extension of that debate: To maintain the costly facility, what would be the price of a ticket?
The State will manage and operate the NGT as a public institution, so as to ensure that it will remain an “international, artistic establishment serving the people.” In other words, the paramount mission of the NGT is to present top quality cultural events for average citizens to enjoy. To this end, the NGT will be subsidized by state funds.
In accordance with this operative premise, during the trial performance period beginning on September 25, the directors of the NGT invited local residents and the project’s construction workers to take in the shows.

Like a dream at night, the National Grand Theater. CFP

According to Wang Zhengming, vice president of the NGT, a reserved space will be offered at a per-show ticket price of less than 100 yuan, so that those who love art but earn less can also enjoy world-class performances. He also revealed that a multi-level pricing system will be instituted, within the frame of which domestic troupes will technically stay at the middle level of ticket pricing, while productions sourcing from overseas will be priced in accordance with the cost of performance.
Wan Siquan, president of the National Grand Theater Project Owners’ Committee, refers to the theater as the “People’s Parlor.” He adds, “Allowing average citizens to step into this world-class facility was the original intent, and the theater will therefore maintain a comparably moderate level of ticket price.”
To meet the demands of top-level performances, hardware was another concern. Arching steel girders – 6,750 tons in total – form the skeletal bracing of the huge dome, which is composed of more than 18,000 titanium plates and 1,200 pieces of transparent glass. The largest of its kind in the world, the dome is not supported by a single column. The nanometer-coated exterior repels water, stains and dust.

Teahouse, staged in the Theater House, National Grand Theater.

The rippling man-made lake surrounding the NGT adds life to the structure. However, assuring against freezing in winter was a challenge to be met. The water at 80 meters underground remains 13 degrees Celsius. So, a closed circulation system was designed to draw up that water, to maintain temperatures at above freezing throughout the year.
Years ago, Luciano Pavarotti was formally invited to perform at the NGT, once the facility commenced operations. Unfortunately, for both him and the people of Beijing, that opportunity has passed.
Beginning in 2008, the NGT is scheduled to host some 500 performances each year. To date, many top-flight overseas productions have received invitations and a number of international artists have show times set. And the culture-loving people of China welcome them ... with great and gracious anticipation.