The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing opened in 2007 and stands immediately west of Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People. French architect Paul Andreu designed a semi-ellipsoidal dome of more than 18,000 titanium plates and over 1,200 glass panels, popularly known as The Boiled Egg. It rises from an artificial lake and is entered through an 80-metre passage beneath the water; because the building could not be taller than the Great Hall, about 60 per cent of its floor area lies underground. The design was long controversial. Inside are three main halls: the Opera Hall with 2,207 seats, the Music Hall with 1,859 seats and the largest organ in China, and the Theatre with 1,036 seats for drama and Chinese opera. The in-house label NCPA Classics was launched in 2016.
The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, opened in 2007, is called The Egg because of its egg shape — the building designed by Paul Andreu lies in an artificial lake next to the Great Hall of the People.
At a glance
- Type
- Multi-genre theatre
- Location
- Peking, China
More venues in China
- Shanghai Grand Theatre · Opera house, Shanghai