A taste of the National Grand Theatre

On the eve of its official opening, Host City’s editor was taken inside one of the most magnificent structures in China and the world

On 15th October 2007 the National Grand Theatre of China opened its doors. The fact that this date coincides with the National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China is no coincidence. The construction was commissioned as a symbol and expression of the country’s continually growing national strength and cultural development – and, as I found out on a preview tour of the building, the finished structure lives up to this ambition.

At dusk, the vast titanium shell opens to reveal
the Opera House within

The shell-like form of the theatre is at once simple and grand, glittering and translucent, inspiring wonder even from a distance. The building is surrounded by a vast man-made lake, said to cover more than 35,000 sq m. The theatre itself has a perimeter of more than 600m; and stretching 32.5m below ground, the building’s impact on the skyline is minimal at less than 50m high.

The surface of the dome is a thing of beauty, particularly in the early evening. Mushroom lamps on the shell surface are located with seemingly random precision to take on the appearance of stars. The shell casting is covered with more than 20,000 titanium plates and 1,200 pieces of transparent glass. As night falls, the titanium cladding gradually opens to reveal the interior through the glass, like a curtain being drawn to reveal a stage.

Arriving underwater
On entering from the north entrance by Chang’an Street, audiences pass through an 80m underwater corridor. As the whole ceiling of the Corridor is made of glass, circling ripples are cast on the floor and the walls, contrasting with bubble designs on the walls. Arriving late by underground road tunnel, I missed out on this unique experience, but the Proprietary Committee of the National Grand Theatre of China says visitors may sense that they have “stepped into a future water world which seems true and illusive."

The shell casting is covered with more than
20,000 titanium plates and 1,200
pieces of transparent glass

The underwater corridor leads crowds to the huge Olive Hall, whose two heavy yet graceful doors feature 180 oval protrusions. These modernized versions of ancient Chinese imperial nailed gates are designed to echo the dome-like structure of the theatre itself.

The biggest hall in China
The wide space that encompasses the venues inside the theatre, the Public Hall is one of the biggest halls in theatres around the world. Its dome, the widest span in the country, could straddle the whole of the Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium. The ceiling of the dome is decorated with rare mahogany imported from Brazil, giving a grand feel and a deep red tint which reflects traditional Chinese aesthetic taste.

The floor of the Public Hall is designed to reflect China’s geography, with 22 different regions embedded with ten kinds of stone materials. All these materials are produced in China; most of them are rare and valuable. One such material, a stone named “Lujinhua”, is almost exhausted in its native Henan province.

The splendid Opera House
The enormous structure that is the National Grand Theatre encompasses three major venues: the Opera House, the Concert Hall and the Chinese Traditional Opera Theatre. With 2,400 seats, the largest and most splendid of these structures is the Opera House. It is designed mainly for the performance of large-scale operas and dance.

The specific musical function of the Opera House has been carefully considered in the design process. Its visually curved walls are fitted with a metal mesh, which allows sound to pass through to a myriad of sharp many-sided structures. These hidden polygons deflect the sound in many directions to achieve the optimal acoustic effect.

This, coupled with the size and rectangular shape of the building, creates an overall reverberation time of 1.6 seconds without adding unwanted colour to the sound. The ideal length of reverberation for performance is generally considered to be one second for speech and two seconds for music, so 1.6 seconds is an ideal reverberation time for operatic performances.

The stage in the Opera House features pushing, moving and turning functions that allow a quick change of set. Six elevators on the main stage can be lifted or brought down wholly or individually. It is equipped with the sole tilting platform for the performance of ballet. According to the Proprietary Committee of the National Grand Theatre of China, it has the most booms and cranes of any stage in China and the best technique for changing between a sliding stage and the main stage in the world.

The refined Concert Hall
With just over 2,000 seats, the Concert Hall is designed for the performance of large-scale symphonic and national music. It has the largest pipe organ in Asia, with over 6,500 pipes.

The Concert Hall’s abstract ceiling serves both an aesthetic and acoustic function. As well as being a highly modern design, the crevassed surface serves to spread sound in an acoustically desirable way.

The hall also features digital sound reinforcement walls, which are designed to reinforce the distribution of sound in the best way possible. The walls are covered in what look like vertical piano keys, whose apparently uneven shapes and sizes are meticulously calculated according to a mathematical theory of sound fluctuation called maximum length sequence (MLS). The hall also features a sound-reflection panel shaped like the back of turtle.

The Chinese Traditional Opera Theatre
This theatre within a theatre is designed for the performance of Chinese traditional operas and dramas. Its wall is covered with a silk cloth which conveys a strong national identity and an intimate but warm and traditional atmosphere. There are 1,035 seats in the Chinese Traditional National Theatre.

The main stage of the theatre is equipped with a turning stage platform which operates rather like a barrel. The stage can be turned while it is ascending or descending.

Crowd-pleasing construction
The theatre has been built with audiences in mind. The nearby Tiananmen West Station acts as a transport hub. Crowds arriving at the National Grand Theatre by subway can enter the theatre directly without going above ground. At the north of the theatre, the underground car park can accommodate 1,000 motor vehicles and 1,500 bicycles, solving parking problems in this busy area.

The entire theatre is supplied with air from under the floor, by air supply holes set under seats in the audience area. Air currents are virtually imperceptible and the resulting environment is comfortable. This design only affects the air temperature within two metres above the ground. The system saves energy and produces no noise.

For people, art and the world
The National Grand Theatre is to uphold three operating objectives: “affinity to the people, focus on art, and internationalism”. The aim of serving the people is expressed in a commitment to providing people with access to popular performances at varying ticket prices for different groups of people.

By focusing on art, the theatre will perform an important function in widening the cultural impact of the performing arts in China. The commitment to internationalism is evident from the diverse programme of works from around the world that is already underway.

First performances
A diverse range of compositions from all over the world has already been performed in the theatre. From 25 September to 13 October 2007 seven trial shows were performed 23 times. The works performed – The Red Women Army, Swan Lake, Sister Jiang, Dunhuang Dream, Teahouse, Mei Lanfang and the youth version of The Peony Pavilion – ranged from opera, ballet, ethnical dance drama and stage play to Beijing opera and Kunqu opera.

The trial performances provided an opportunity to test the National Grand Theatre’s electrical and mechanical systems, security and organisational structures. As a gesture of thanks to the theatre’s builders, they were invited to the performances, along with former residents relocated from the site.         

After these trial performances, the international performance season opens to the public. From the end of December 2007 to the end of March 2008, 183 performances will be conducted in the National Grand Theatre, of which 30 per cent will feature performers from overseas. Artists from more than ten countries and regions including Russia, US, France and Italy will show their skills in this beginning phase in the life of the National Grand Theatre.