National Grand Theater |
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According to French architect Paul Andrew, National Centre for the performing arts looks like a huge green park with an oval and silver grand theater encircled by green water. The shell, made of titanium metal and glass together with day and night lights adds radiance and beauty to each other, and has fast-changing colors. The surroundings of the Grand Theater are semi-transparent, golden netted glass walls. People can see the sky inside the building through its dome. Some people describe the complete Grand Theater as "a crystal drop of water", other people call it a "big egg shell" or "boiled egg".
The Grand Theater (guó jiā dà jù yuàn 国家大剧院) project was approved by the State Council in April, 1998 and formerly put into construction on December 13, 2001. It is completed in September, 2007. It is China's top arts performance center and a first class art palace. At the northern side of the Grand Theater there is an underground parking lot, which can hold almost 1,000 motor vehicles and 1,400 more bicycles. It can be used as an accessory facility for the Grand Theater and as a public facility in the Tian'anmen Square area. Among international performers who will be appearing will be conductors Valery Gergiev and Seiji Ozawa, and sopranos Kathleen Battle and Kiri Te Kanawa. Apart from the Mariinsky Theater of Russia, other famous foreign orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, will also give performances.
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