You’re standing in front of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Dajuyuan, one of the city’s most iconic cultural landmarks. Set on People’s Square, it seamlessly brings together Chinese tradition and modern design. Created by French architect Jean-Marie Charpentier and opened in 1998, the building is instantly recognizable with its sweeping pavilion-like roof made of seven thousand tonnes of steel and its bright white form seeming to float above the square like a sail catching the wind, a design that reflects Shanghai’s openness to the world while echoing the grace of ancient Chinese architecture. Inside, three auditoriums host everything from opera and ballet to concerts and experimental performances, with the main hall offering more than sixteen hundred seats and exceptional acoustics. The stage curtain, a monumental fourteen-metre-high canvas painted by French artist Olivier Debré and gifted by LVMH, is a work of art on its own, combining colours and movement to capture the city’s energy and modern spirit. Since its inauguration, the Grand Theatre has welcomed major international productions and some of the world’s greatest performers, and it remains today a cornerstone of Chinese cultural life, a bridge between East and West and a shining symbol of modern Shanghai.