The National Centre for the Performing Arts

About

The dreamlike architecture of the National Centre for the Performing Arts is situated on the western side of Tiananmen Square just west of the Great Hall of the People. The main structure consists of the exterior protective glass and steel shell and an opera house seating 2,416, a music hall seating 2,017, a theatre seating 1,040 and a huge lobby.

The semi-oval roof is composed of 20,000 strong titanium metal plates and over 1,200 colored glass screens of varying sizes. With the whole building floating on a man-made lake, spectators go through an 80-meter-long underwater tunnel to enter the hall. When night falls, the silver-colored oval theatre surrounded by crystal clear water looks magically enchanting, with titanium metal plates and the glass shell reflect the rays of the evening sun in fluid colors. The Theatre is dubbed "a drop of crystal water".

Around

1. Tian'anmen Square The Tian'anmen Square lies at the cross-section between the central axis of Beijing and the Chang'an Street. Tiananmen is 34.7 meters tall. When it was first built in the 15th year of Yongle (1417), it was called Chengtian Gate. It was twice destroyed in the Ming Dynasty, once by lightening, once by war. In 1651, or the 8th year of Emperor Shunzhi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor named Fulin had it rebuilt on a large scale and changed its name to Tiananmen. Imposing and magnificent, it stands out among ancient city gates in China.

2. The Palace Museum The Palace Museum, former home to the 24 Ming and Qing emperors, is also known as the Forbidden City. Completed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, it occupies a total space of more than 720, 000 square meters. Apart from the complex of immovable palace buildings, the Palace Museum houses over 1.5 million items or sets of relics.