{"id":2613,"date":"2016-04-04T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/chinese-opera-houses\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T09:14:35","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T13:14:35","slug":"chinese-opera-houses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/collections\/chinese-opera-houses\/","title":{"rendered":"Pure Architectural Theater: 6 Sensational Chinese Opera Houses"},"content":{"rendered":"

The judging process for <\/i>Architizer's 14th A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a> is now underway. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive updates about Public Voting, and stay tuned \u2014 winners will be announced later this spring. \u00a0<\/i><\/i><\/p>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As China\u2019s presence on the global economic stage has steadily risen over the past couple decades, so too has its desire to match its outsize economic influence with equally robust cultural institutions. Despite being one of the world\u2019s biggest economies and a producer of the vast majority of consumer goods, China has been less recognized for its cultural output including the performing arts, theater and opera than for its booming population and rapidly expanding cities. But as China continues to grow its economic stature, inhabitants and cities for the near future, it also needs to provide the cultural space for these forces to express themselves.<\/p>\n

The opera house is one architectural intervention for a city, state or culture to manifest its values and ambitions and in doing so proclaim a degree of cultivation and artistic cachet. In Western Europe, the opera house emerged in the 17th century, often financed by noblemen and wealthy merchants looking to solidify their cultural hegemony. This began to change in the 19th century, as opera houses became more democratic spaces financed by public institutions.<\/p>\n

While this history is absent in China, we can see similar impulses behind the following collection of contemporary opera houses. These spanking new facilities provide spaces not only for opera, but a number of performing arts enjoyed by the public. Furthermore, they are a physical manifestation of the powerful forces of the country\u2019s economy, the untapped cultural potential of the public, and the architectural destination-making pioneered by Gehry\u2019s Bilbao<\/a>. These Chinese opera houses reinterpret this enduring cultural institution for a new era and are tailored to a region witnessing dramatic physical, social and material transformations.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 Coop Himmelb(l)au<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 Coop Himmelb(l)au<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Dalian International Conference Center<\/b><\/a> by Coop Himmelb(l)au<\/a>, Dalian, China<\/p>\n

The multifaceted, scaled aluminum fa\u00e7ade on this Northern Chinese port city\u2019s opera house contains within it a conference space for 2,500, a smaller 1,400-person theater and flexible exhibition spaces. The billowing and sinuous forms of the building pierced by unexpected angles are typical of Coop Himmelb(l)au\u2019s Deconstructivist approach to architecture and well-suited to this changing typology.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n
\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 Zaha Hadid Architects<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Guangzhou Opera House<\/a><\/b>by Zaha Hadid Architects<\/a>, Guangzhou, China<\/p>\n

Zaha Hadid\u2019s similarly dramatic Guangzhou opera house is one of the most well-known realizations of China\u2019s drive to jumpstart its urban cultural development. Set in one of the country\u2019s largest megacities along the Pearl River, the building features two smoothed spatial \u201cpebbles\u201d clad in triangular granite and glass panels supported by a webbed steel frame that leaps into intrepid forms.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 Hufton+Crow Photography<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 Adam M\u00f8rk<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Harbin Opera House<\/b><\/a> by MAD<\/a>, Harbin, China<\/p>\n

Occupying a gigantic site of almost 450 acres along the Songhua River, this three-petaled opera house, cultural center and public outdoor space is composed of ascending curvilinear forms that seem to sprout from the wetland landscape and warmly envelop patrons from the elements. The white aluminum cladding of the exterior mirrors the harsh winter climate, while the seemingly hand-sculpted Manchurian ash of the auditorium provides a cozy counterpart.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 PES-Architects<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 PES-Architects<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Wuxi Grand Theatre<\/a><\/b>by PES-Architects<\/a>, Wuxi, China<\/p>\n

A series of structural steel roof wings overhang the cubic volumes of this multipurpose opera house and feature LED-lit undersides of perforated metal. The terraced pavilions of the entrance and outdoor spaces are illuminated by decorative columns that continue into the lobby to become structural supports. The design incorporates elements of traditional temples and the crystalline forms inspired by Finnish geography.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 gmp \u00b7 Architects von Gerkan, Marg und Partner<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 gmp \u00b7 Architects von Gerkan, Marg und Partner<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Grand Theater Tianjin<\/b><\/a> by gmp – von Gerkan, Marg, and Partners Architects<\/a>, Tianjin, China<\/p>\n

The semicircular roofline of this theater extends from a stone public plaza and opens up towards the head of the adjacent lake. The three volumes of the building are sheltered by this cantilevered form that fans out like a traditional bandshell and exposes the functional spaces towards the outdoors.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 Shanghai Dushe Architectural Design DSD<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\n\t\n\t\n\t

\u00a9 Shanghai Dushe Architectural Design DSD<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Bayuquan Theater<\/b><\/a> by Shanghai Dushe Architectural Design DSD<\/a>, Bayuquan, Yingkou, China<\/p>\n

This smaller-scale opera house was designed with traditional Chinese theater in mind, and the bent thatches of the aluminum fa\u00e7ade recall the billowing fabrics in the classic performances. The building is organized like a traditional theater, but can also be rotated and shifted according to programmatic needs.<\/p>\n

The judging process for <\/i>Architizer's 14th A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a> is now underway. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive updates about Public Voting, and stay tuned \u2014 winners will be announced later this spring. \u00a0<\/i><\/i><\/p>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These spanking new facilities provide spaces not only for opera, but a number of performing arts enjoyed by the public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"architizer_featured_type":"projects","architizer_featured_image":"1552910","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[15],"architizer_project":[],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-2613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collections","category-inspiration","tag-collection"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPure Architectural Theater: 6 Sensational Chinese Opera Houses - Architizer Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These spanking new facilities provide spaces not only for opera, but a number of performing arts enjoyed by the public.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/collections\/chinese-opera-houses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pure Architectural Theater: 6 Sensational Chinese Opera Houses - 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