National Grand Theater
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The National Grand Theater, also known as The Egg, is an opera house in Beijing, China. It will open sometime in 2007. It was designed by Paul Andreu and cost 2.688 billion yuan to build.[1] The theatre seats 6,500 people and is 200,000 m² in size.
The exterior of the theate is a titanium accented glass dome that is completely surrounded by a man-made lake. It is said to look like an egg floating on water. Guests arrive in the building after walking through a hallway that goes underneath the lake. It was designed as an iconic feature, something that would be immediately recognizeable, like the Sydney Opera House. Its location, near the Great Hall of the People and the Forbidden City, wasn't a popular choice for locals. Some also believe the overall design is too modern.
[edit] References
- ^ People's Daily - National Grand Theater attracts international bids for debut (Accessed 7 July 2006)