China's first 'floating opera house' sets sail

The new Shangyin Opera House celebrated its grand opening on Sept 15 with an original opera production He Luting, one of the most influential composers and music educators in modern Chinese history.

The composer, who was born in 1903 and died in 1999, used to be the director of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, which manages the new opera house.

According to Liao Changyong, the director of the conservatory, the opening performance which starred students and young scholars at the conservatory, was a means of testing the state-of-the-art acoustic system at the new venue.