The Great Hall of the People will turn into the Great Hall of Pop this month, as major pop concerts will be held for the first time in China's political shrine.

Sitting on the edge of Tian'anmen Square, the premier political venue is better known for hosting the annual meeting of the National People's Congress and other important political activities.

Though the hall has hosted shows in the past, these were mostly highbrow art forms or well-known foreign musicals like Cats, Chicago and Casablanca, which were all performed there last year.

The upcoming pop concerts are anticipated as some of the most exciting music events this year, as people have waited for years to see their idols on stage at the grand venue. It will also be this year's first big gathering of pop concerts, since the city's stadium concerts were suspended for almost half a year due to major venues renovation for the coming 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Richie Jen and Huang Pinyuan, two veteran singers from Taiwan, will kick off the Great Hall's pop music concerts on August 11. They will be followed by Taiwan's Jeff Chang on August 13, Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam on August 15, and local singer and songwriter Xu Wei on August 17.

The singers are among the biggest names in Chinese pop music and expressed confidence in box office returns at a press conference last month in Beijing.

Hu Feng, PR manager of the China Performance Art Agency, one organizer of the concerts, said the group of concerts "will definitely bring an unusual experience for the audience."

Unlike big stadiums that can seat 10,000 or more, the Great Hall of the People only has 6,000 seats. However, each row drops at least 20 centimetres more than usual stadium's seats which helps audience members get a better view of the stage.

To reduce people's impression of the seriousness of the building, the hall's administrative bureau for the first time is permitting the audience to bring fluorescent sticks and other accessories to cheer on their idols.

However the pop concerts, with their elaborate stage designs and performers' interaction with the audience, are still challenging for the venue.

To satisfy the high demands of the stage, the organizers have made great changes on the hall's original appliances. In order to achieve the best light and sound effects, the organizer applied the most advanced light and sound appliance in the world, including 40 computer lights, worth about 130 million yuan (US$16 million). The latest computer laser techniques will also be used for the first time in the hall.

The acoustics also make a record in the indoor concert history in Beijing, with numerous surrounding stereo equipments and the latest synchro-recorders.

"We are building the biggest and most lavish concert stage in the hall's history," said Ni Wenyuan, general engineer of the stage set-up. According to Ni, as many as 40 containers have been used to transport the stage appliances and 100 workers are now busy working on the stage production.

To break away from the conservative style of the concerts previously held in the hall, the organizers are allowed to light smokeless fireworks in the hall.

With four concerts being held over two days, quick changes of the stage are the biggest challenges.

"We only have 24 hours between each performance to disassemble the old stage, to build the new stage and adjust the light and acoustics at the same time. It is almost an impossible mission," said Ni. But the organizer promised having so much technique support will help solve that problem.

For the five artists who will sing in the hall, all have expressed their excitement for the shows.

"It has always been a dream of mine to visit the Great Hall of the People. I would never have expected that I would be holding a concert here," said Jeff Chang, famous for his trademark high-pitched voice.

As there are no guest singers in the four concerts, each artist has to perform the entire show, which will last as long as two and half hours, without any rest. Besides singing their signature songs, all performers have promised they will surprise the audience with their other talents.

As the first two artists perform a pop concert in the hall, Richie Jen and Huang Pinyuan revealed they would bring much laughter to the audience. In their concert themed "Good Dream," the duo will not only show their kung fu and magic skills, but also perform a comic dialogue.

For the first time, Jeff Chang will reveal his own love story and life experience in his solo concert. Adding a fresh element to his songs, the singer will sing his classics accompanied by Chinese traditional music instruments like guzheng and pipa. As a fan of antiques, he will also present his collections with a short film.

Sandy Lam, the only female singer of the music feast, will show off lavish costumes and fast-paced dance moves. It will be the first time that the pop singer has appeared on the Beijing stage since her 2004 divorce of famous Taiwanese singer-songwriter and producer Jonathan Lee.

Xu Wei's concert will close down the string of shows. The Xi'an born singer will bring his new Martin guitar, priced over 80,000 yuan (US$10,000), to sing his classic ballads.

(China Daily 08/10/2006 page4)