In side the opera house

Tianjin Culture Center is by far the largest public cultural venue project in Tianjin. It has been built with the ideas of culture, people, and ecology as the overriding inspiration. The center covers a total floor area of 90 hectares. Located at the intersection of Guangdonglu and Binshuidao, the center is comprised of Tianjin Museum, an art gallery, a library, a theater (designed to rival the performing arts center of Beijing), Natural History Museum, Sunshine Park, Civic Square, Zhonghua Theater, and the Science & Technology Museum. There will be adjacent retail space that will sell music and art related pieces, there are even recreation centers for teens on the grounds. There is a manmade lake that sports and impressive fountain show, one that I cannot wait to see at night. It is a sprawling complex that offers a multitude of ways for art and cultural engagement. A public transportation hub including metro and buses lines is also in the works to increase the ease of access for patrons. The metro lines are still under construction but the Cultural Center is readying to open to the public. VIP's, like Jin Magazine of course, are now being given a sneak peak at the sprawling facility. The project has an overall floor area of 1 million square meters, of which 530 thousand square meters are on the ground level and 470 square meters are underground. The project was not just a local affair; it is jointly designed by 12 architecture institutes from China, Germany, Japan, and the United States. The eclectic nature of the designers allows the center to pull the best of the design world from an international pool of talent.

The design of Tianjin Theater comes from the idea of City Stage. The theater faces the large manmade lake with a wide stair opening to the water, where visitors can relax before and after performances with friends and family. In addition, it was designed to host outdoor and live performances, Tianjin weather permitting of course. The theater occupies an area of 100 thousand square meters and has 5 stories above ground and one underground. It is capable of organizing more than 300 performances every year and receiving international top-notch art troupes as well as producing shows independently. The theater has altogether 3,200 seats; 1,600 of which are for the variety theater; a section that is designed to host opera, dance drama, drama, and traditional operas as well even official ceremonies.

Tianjin Library

The concert hall has 1,200 seats in it and primarily presents symphony and Chinese folk music performances. It is large enough to hold a 120 member orchestra and large chorus. The multi-function theater can accommodate about 400 people and have drama, small concert, and fashion shows as well as small and mid-range conferences, exhibitions, press conferences, and cocktail parties. The hall was designed to highlight traditional Chinese culture in the context of a modern facility that respects and allows for the exhibition of both traditional and modern shows. With simplicity and elegance in design, the concert hall has opened 'the gate to the art world' for the people of Tianjin.

Jin was able to explore the theatre as it is nearing completion and is starting to have limited recitals. Touring the multitude of halls for dance, orchestral performances, and concerts was both impressive and tiring. Each hall featured amazing acoustics; we arrived in time for the tuning of the piano for a performance scheduled for later that evening. Each note was robust and carries perfectly to any location in the hall, and without a single hint of foul reverb. Any performance is sure to be high fidelity.

Tianjin Grand Theatre

The multistoried theatre complex winds and twists to reveal an interactive exhibit by the Philharmonic Orchestra called, "re-write". Here visitors can join the orchestra in a recorded performance. Through a series of projected videos, separated compartments, and playing space, visitors are welcomed to bring their own instruments and get a glimpse of what playing in a professional orchestra might be like. The interactive exhibit is spread over a large area and each section, be it percussion, woodwinds, or even the conductor's podium is separated to give focus to a given section. If you are in the horn section, there is a room devoted just to them so you only see this section performing and they are more audibly prominent. As you wind through the exhibit you get a glimpse at how each part of the orchestra has their individual responsibilities and connects with the group as a whole to produce amazing music. It is well worth a visit, even if you are not a classical music fan. At the very least you can see your image superimposed as you 'direct' the band from a mock podium. While we did not explore every building in the complex the scenery is also impressive.

Tianjin Sunshine Park occupies 82 thousand square meters. It contains indoor entertaining facilities, a photography and animation world, adventure world for children, and a cinema. It has a three-leaf layout and a classic pillar structure corridor making for an impressive aesthetic design.

The magnificent stage

The artificial lake takes up a total land of 100 square meters with the deepest depth reaching 2.7 meters. In the center of the lake is a world leading musical fountain imported from none other than Las Vegas. If you have seen the water show at the Bellagio you know that Tianjin is in for an aquatic treat. The jets can send streams of water as high as 30 meters. For the sake of water conservation, the water in the lake is recycled water. In addition, due to the implementation of a new water management system, the lake will not freeze in winter. What makes the scene even more impressive is the 100-square-meter artificial island on which various beautiful plants and flowers are planted.

Maybe you are not a patron of the arts, who among us can say we truly get excited about Beijing Opera? But with the new cultural center having such a variety artistic exhibitions you will have more than ample opportunity see some of the world's best performing artists right in your backyard. Who knows, you may even like it. Next thing you know you could be donning the tux and rubbing elbows with the likes of Jackie Chan at the Tianjin Cultural Center.