Videos about National Center for the Performing Arts, China

The ‘Meet In Beijing’ Arts Festival 相约北京美国主宾国

Every spring, this festival takes place in the capital city as a meeting of artists of all kinds from China and countries worldwide, a cultural exchange covering everything from music - classical, pop and more - to dance, exhibitions and drama, ... expect the unexpected : )

In 2016, the festival runs from April 25 to May 30. Now in its 16th year, the festival will bring together nearly 400 Chinese artists and more than 400 international artists from 25 countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain and France. Canada will be this year's guest country of honor.

As a taster, here are two wonderful performances from 2014 - first, a steel band in ChaoYang Park, second an unusual 'quartet' at the National Center for the Performing Arts (don't miss this if you love music) ...

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The National Center for the Performing Arts, BeiJing 北京

The National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) lies just to the west of Tian'AnMen Square and the Great Hall of the People.


It is also known as the National Grand Theater (a direct translation of its name in Chinese) and colloquially as 'the Egg', as it emerged on the Beijing skyline about the same time as the 'Birds Nest' Olympic stadium.


The center is composed of a 46m high, elliptical titanium and glass meta-structure that sits in the middle of a huge square pond; it looks stunning both day and night.


Inside are three performance halls that can seat nearly 5,500 people. The center hosts opera, music, plays, ballet and modern dance.


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The National Center for the Performing Arts, BeiJing 北京 (2)

The NCPA, also sometimes known as the National Theater, is situated in central BeiJing, close to TianAnMen Square.


The giant titanium-and-glass dome west of Tian'AnMen Square (behind the Great Hall of the People) hosts Chinese and international art performances of the highest calibre. The complex houses an opera house, a music hall and a drama hall and can seat up to 6,200. It is the flagship performance space in China. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, it opened in 2007.

The dome is 212 meters across in the east-west direction, 144 meters in the north-south direction, and is 46 meters high. It is situated in the center of a large shallow pond and the entrance passes under it. Paul Andreu has said that he envisioned the hall as a tribute to the traditional Chinese image of Heaven and Earth: round above square.


At first, there appears to be no entrance, but in fact it runs under the surrounding pond.


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