The National Center for the Performing Arts was completed recently in Beijing, China. Designed by architect Paul Andreu, the first concert was held there December 2007.
The exterior of the theater is a titanium accented glass dome that is completely surrounded by a man-made lake. It is said to look like an egg floating on water. It was designed as an iconic feature, something that would be immediately recognizable, like the Sydney Opera House.
The dome measures 212 meters in east-west direction, 144 meters in north-south direction, and is 46 meters high. The main entrance is at the north side. Guests arrive in the building after walking through a hallway that goes underneath the lake. The titanium shell is broken by a glass curtain in north-south direction that gradually widens from top to bottom.
Andreu is responsible for a number of major constructions around the world and is most well-known for his airports, including, amongst others: Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport, Cairo International Airport, Brunei International Airport, Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Paris) and Paris – Orly Airport).
We recently covered another of Andreu’s projects, the Oceanus Complex Casino in Macau.
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Dear Editor, the Theater in China has always gone to great lengths to preserve the past history of China, for all to view in the form of theater instead of in book form.
A little like the Bible, it tells the history of the rights and wrongs, what to do and what not too do, for the benifit of the people watching.
If the Chinese Theater pulls away from it’s roots, and portrays it’s vision of future plots, too the people watching it, becomes Prophecy of sorts, which is open too interpretation, from a persons point of view. Which can become dangerous, so should be avoided.
The Theater in China has a real value, not only in modern culture, but also in teaching history, so that the same wrongs of the past are not repeated. The young people of China would do well too watch these Great Artistes Perform and help ensure that it continues for Future Generations to enjoy.
Best Wishes. Stuart
God Save The Queen