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Cityscape recommendations for Beijing
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-10 23:14

National Center for the Performing Arts


 National Center for the Performing Arts
The National Center for the Performing Arts is an opera house located in downtown Beijing. It exterior is a titanium glass ellipsoidal dome surrounded by a man-made lake. The 46 meter high glass dome ranges from 144 meters in the north-south direction and 212 meters east-west. Some people say it looks like an egg floating in water; therefore it is nicknamed "The Egg." It has served as an iconic architecture of Beijing since its 2007 completion.

Created by French designer Paul Andreu, the center lies next to the Forbidden City and to the west of Tian'anmen Square. Its futuristic style is especially eye-catching among the traditional Chinese architecture.

Around the center is a 35,500-square-meter lake, trees and lawns designed to make it complement the red walls of the nearby ancient buildings and merge the futuristic architecture into the traditional Chinese environment.

The glass of the dome can change its hue according to the direction of the sunshine.

Inside the "egg," there are three main performance halls, namely the Opera House, Concert Hall and Theater Hall. These can seat 2,398, 2,019, and 1,035 people respectively.

The structure's glass ceiling baths the dazzling colored marble floor in sunlight. The interior walls are decorated with Brazilian rosewood. Visitors have to walk across a gorgeous 80-meter-long underwater corridor to enter the grand hall.

The center also hosts a variety of auxiliary facilities, including an exhibition gallery, souvenir shops and cafes. It's easy to access by public transport. Take subway line one to Tian'anmen West station and you will get there through Exit C.