Grand Theatre

The Shanghai Grand Theatre

The Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Dajuyuan, is one of the most prestigious cultural symbols of the town, standing on the People's Square. The Shanghai audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this building with an elegant roof in the shape of a pavilion, work of the French architect Jean-Marie Charpentier inaugurated in 1998, where Chinese tradition and modernity meet.

The white sail of Shanghai culture

You are in front of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Dajuyuan, one of the most prestigious cultural symbols of the town. Situated on the People's Square, it embodies the meeting between Chinese tradition and modernity. Designed by the French architect Jean-Marie Charpentier and inaugurated in 1998, the building impresses with its slender roof in the shape of a pavilion, composed of some seven thousand tonnes of steel. Its white and luminous silhouette seems to float above the square, like a sail carried by the wind or like the raised eaves of the ancient Chinese palaces. This design symbolises the opening of Shanghai onto the world, while paying homage to the elegance of the traditional architectures. Inside, three halls host a varied programme: operas, ballets, symphonic concerts, chamber music and more experimental shows. The great hall, that can receive nearly one thousand eight hundred spectators, offers an excellent acoustic and a clear view of the stage from all the seats. When evening comes, when the building lights up, it becomes one of the finest spectacles of the People's Square. A true temple of the performing arts, the Grand Theatre testifies to the cultural ambition of Shanghai, a metropolis turned towards creation as towards its heritage. A prestigious theatre and a setting of shows, the Shanghai Grand Theatre is a fine stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

You admire the prestigious theatre of the People's Square, designed by the French architect Jean-Marie Charpentier and inaugurated in 1998, with a floating white silhouette and a roof in the shape of a pavilion of some seven thousand tonnes of steel, that evokes the eaves of the Chinese palaces; its three halls, including a great one of nearly one thousand eight hundred seats, host operas, ballets and concerts. The Grand Theatre is a cultural symbol of Shanghai. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Shanghai Grand Theatre lies on the People's Square, in the Huangpu district, reachable on foot and by metro. You admire its architecture from the square; to attend a show, it is best to enquire in advance about the programme and the conditions of access, which vary according to the performances.

Who designed the Shanghai Grand Theatre?

The French architect Jean-Marie Charpentier, who inaugurated it in 1998; this prestigious theatre of the People's Square presents a floating white silhouette and a roof in the shape of a pavilion of some seven thousand tonnes of steel evoking the eaves of the Chinese palaces, and shelters three halls, including a great one of nearly one thousand eight hundred seats, for operas, ballets and concerts.

Where is the Shanghai Grand Theatre?

On the People's Square, in the Huangpu district, in Shanghai, in China.