Journal of Architecture and Urbanism ISSN 2029-7955 / eISSN 2029-7947 2020 Volume 44 Issue 1: 32–43 https://doi.org/10.3846/jau.2020.10800 PRODUCING CULTURAL SPACE IN THE CHINESE CITIES: A CASE STUDY OF GRAND THEATERS IN SHANGHAI * Charlie Qiuli XUE , Cong SUN , Lujia ZHANG City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong Received 12 July 2019; accepted 12 November 2019 Abstract. Following the rapid pace of urbanisation, Chinese cities have launched a new wave of large-scale infrastructure, including cultural building construction. From 1998 to 2015, more than 360 grand theaters were built together with librar- ies, museums and children’s palaces. The number of newly built theaters may have been more than the total sum built in Europe over the past 70 years. Through case studies of theaters built in Shanghai, this paper penetrates the phenomenon of the “heat of cultural buildings” and discovers the history, intentions and effects of these theaters on Chinese cities. Fol- lowing on-site investigation of the city and theaters, the materials of theater building in China are presented. Theaters of various types are discussed in the framework of urban space, design language and consumerist culture. The authors find that the rapid growth of cultural facilities epitomises the ambition and strong implementation of Chinese (and Asian) gov- ernments in the wave of urbanisation and globalization. Keywords: cultural space, Chinese cities, grand theaters, Shanghai. Introduction and the total construction cost is about RMB 100 billion yuan (around USD 16 billion).1 With the opening ceremony held on August 27, 1998, Why and how have so many grand theaters been built Shanghai Grand Theater marked the beginning of a so quickly? How were those designs selected in the process unique movement of theater construction in China. Until of decision making? What is the design language of the 2015, the number of new theaters including new additions grand theaters? How do these theaters influence the ambi- is 364, in which 100 theaters are new constructions with ence of a city, and how do they provide public space and an auditorium of 1.200 seats or more (Sun, 2019). amenities for a vibrant civic life? Cultural buildings are The name “grand theater” first appeared at a perform- being busily constructed, cement, steel and materials are ing art center in 1989 in Shenzhen, a special economic quickly consumed, but few serious studies have been car- zone bordering Hong Kong. In 1994, an international ried on the heat of grand theater construction in China. design competition of “grand theater” was held in Shang- This article attempts to answer these questions using hai. Four years later a French designed theater clad with Shanghai as an example. After 20 years’ observation (since crystal clear glass and flying roof monumentally stood at their inception) and investigating on-site the newly built the People’s Square – the heart of Shanghai. The design and old cases, the authors hope to examine how a grand of Shanghai “Grand Theater” was selected through inter- theater is built with a particular mission in urban renewal national design competition – its quality and image were and new town construction and how they interact with well worth and admired as “grand” by people of Shanghai Chinese urbanization in the tide of globalization. Shang- and China. Since then, grand theaters were planned and hai has long been recognized as the most advanced city built in various Chinese cities, from coastal metropolis to and role model in China in terms of economy and life provincial city, from prefecture city to rural town center. style. The situation in Shanghai can epitomize the direc- “Grand theater” in this context is not only an auditorium. tion of Chinese cities in general. It usually contains an opera house, a concert hall and a multi-functional theater. Most of these grand theaters have a gross floor area between 10.000 to 50.000 sq. m., 1 The data is collected and calculated by the authors. *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by VGTU Press This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unre- stricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Journal of Architecture and Urbanism, 2020, 44(1): 32–43 33 1. Literature review on cultural buildings To answer the questions raised in the beginning of this paper, we plan to discuss several aspects of the theater Performing art is part of entertainment activities of the hu- phenomenon, just using historic narrative method with man being. Conventional study of theater concentrates on the background of China’s social change. The authors theatrical technology, sightline and acoustics (Izenour, 1996; th have compiled database of Chinese newly built theaters Cheng, 2015). After the 19 century, theaters have been built and investigated targeted buildings. The following sections more for city’s pride, symbol and confidence. When Garnier’s are organized under such subtitles as (1) initiation of per- opera house was built in Paris in 1861, it was a high-class forming art buildings; (2) design, selection and decision venue of performance and social life. Its Baroque image was making; and (3) role of grand theaters in city. This study part of the Parisians’ pride (Cheng, 2015). aims to shed light on the rapid development of Asian In the 1950s, the city of New York cleared slum area cities, reveal the problems attached to these prominent in Manhattan and built Lincoln Center, with three high- landmark buildings and fill the academic gap in cultural end theaters, several concert halls and more than 70 mu- building study and Chinese architecture. seums and libraries nearby. This lifted New York from a financial center to a cultural metropolis. Sydney Opera House stood on Bennelong Point of Sydney Harbor in 2. Initiation of Grand Theater 1973, Utzon’s shell-shape design made it far more than a As theater’s huge investment and the government control theater for the city (Murray, 2004). After that, municipal of money, planning and land-use, most theater planning leaders and people began to learn how a cultural landmark and construction are in the public sector with top-down had helped promoting the image of a city significantly. In procedure and implemented as political tasks. There are France, President de Gaulle believed that bringing high a few theaters and museums run by the private corpora- culture to the masses would contribute to creating a more tions, however, these corporations usually have govern- educated and productive society (Grenfell, 2004). In the mental and military background in China. The initiation 1980s, Mitterrand’s state projects in Paris revitalized this of cultural mega-structure is mingled with governmental economic and cultural capital of Europe. The old facili- imperatives in different historical periods. In Shanghai, it ties were rebuilt, like the Louvre; and new facilities were can further be categorized to (1) restoring historic glory; constructed, like opera house in Bastille and the national (2) vitalizing (remote) areas and (3) fulfilling actual needs library (Enright, 2016). In 1997, the Guggenheim Mu- of cultural production and consumption. seum in Bilbao, Spain greatly revitalized the originally derelict industrial town, population around 250.000, and Restoring historic glory attracted more than one million tourists annually, creating the so-called “Guggenheim effect” (Jencks, 2004). Cultural As an early “global” city in the eastern China, Shanghai th buildings and theaters have always been strongly tied with was exposed to Western civilization in the late 19 and th progression of urbanism and city status. Such cultural early 20 centuries. Western management and materialis- flagship projects and icons helped cities to create posi- tic advancement transformed the city into a modern soci- tive urban images as a great place to live and work, attract ety, which attracted millions of people from nearby prov- economic investment and talents, develop their tourism inces and foreign countries. Between the two World Wars, sector and enhance their competitiveness among the rival Shanghai was under the spotlight in the Far East and was cities (Kong et al., 2015; Chang, 2000). Mr. Peter Karl, the nicknamed the “Oriental Paris”: its ports, factories, garden founder and chairman of Global Competition Union said houses, department stores, hotels and apartment buildings in the 2014 United Nations “World Cities Day” Forums were a physical manifesto. that another competitive element in a successful city is In its heyday, performance halls and cinemas were con- architecture (Xiao, 2015). structed in the concession areas. These cultural facilities, All those foreign landmarks, events and city specta- together with dancing halls, luxurious hotels and apart- cles have been inspiring China when the country got away ment stores, splendidly gilded the city center (Figure 1). from political turmoil and returned to normal life in the In 1908, Hongkou Theater (designed by L. E. Hudec), the 1980s. Before 1980, the occasional performing art build- first cinema in Shanghai was built. From 1930 to 1935, the ings were linked with power and Unitarian rules, for ex- famous Nanking Theater (later renamed Shanghai concert ample, Great Hall of People in Beijing and some provincial hall, designed by Fan Wenzhao, 1930), Strand Theater cities (Xue, 2006; Xue & Ding, 2018). The movement of (designed by Elliott Hazzard, 1930), Lyceum Theater (de- constructing grand theater in China is accompanied and signed by Davies & Brooke, 1930), Cathay Theater (de- fueled by constant economic growth, rapid urbanization, signed by C. H. Gonda, 1930), Metropol Theater (desig- new town construction and old town renewal. The newly ned by Allied Architects, 1933) and The Grand Theater built grand theaters in China may outnumber the sum of (designed by L.