The Shanghai Oriental Art Center (), abbreviated SHOAC, is one of the leading performance and cultural facilities in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. The five interconnected hemispherical halls or "petals" are shaped to resemble a butterfly orchid from above.SHOAC
"Prelude".
/ref> They comprise the Entrance Hall, the Concert Hall, the Opera Hall, the Performance Hall, and the

Exhibition Hall A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

. The high-tech ceiling changes color during the night to reflect the nature of the performances inside. Located off

Century Avenue Century Avenue () is a major street in Pudong, Shanghai. It begins near the Oriental Pearl Tower and ends at Yanggao Road, in a pedestrianised section leading to Century Park (Shanghai), Century Park. Major Landmarks There are many major landm ...

Pudong Pudong is a district of Shanghai located east of the Huangpu, the river which flows through central Shanghai. The name ''Pudong'' was originally applied to the Huangpu's east bank, directly across from the west bank or Puxi, the historic cit ...

, the SHOAC was opened with a New Year's Eve concert in 2004 and officially opened on July 1, 2005.

History

The facility was jointly constructed by the

Shanghai Municipal Government The Politics of Shanghai is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in the mainland of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In the last few decades the city has produced many of the country's eventu ...

and

Pudong New Area Government Pudong is a district of Shanghai located east of the Huangpu, the river which flows through central Shanghai. The name ''Pudong'' was originally applied to the Huangpu's east bank, directly across from the west bank or Puxi, the historic city ...

on a budget of 1.1 billion

RMB The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 2022. ...

. The right to operate its grounds were won by the Poly Culture and Arts Company in September 2003; they then partnered with the

Wenhui-Xinmin United Press Group Shanghai United Media Group () is a state media company of the People's Republic of China, established on October 28, 2013, through the merger of the city's two largest newspaper groups, Jiefang Daily Press Group and Wenhui–Xinmin United Pres ...

to establish the Shanghai Oriental Art Center Management Company, Limited. This company continues to manage the property and its subsidiary facilities, despite Poly's interest having been replaced by Beijing Poly Theatre Management in June 2009 and WXUPG's by the

Shanghai United Media Group Shanghai United Media Group () is a state media company of the People's Republic of China, established on October 28, 2013, through the merger of the city's two largest newspaper groups, Jiefang Daily Press Group and Wenhui–Xinmin United Pres ...

in January 2014.

Performances

Various cultural and musical performances are held in the center, beginning from the 2005

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was f ...

Shanghai Concert. It's a regular venue for concert performances and its popular "Chinese Traditional Opera Series" hosts performances by the

China National Opera The China National Opera House (CNOH) or China Central Opera (中央歌剧院) is a State-run opera company based in Beijing, China, and under the Chinese Ministry of Culture. CNOH consists of an opera troupe, a choir, a symphony orchestra and a ...

, the

Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Shanghai, China, which produces Jingju (i.e. Peking Opera). It was founded in 1955, with Zhou Xinfang its director. The Shanghai Beijing-Opera Theatre is at 168 Yueyang Road, Xuhui ...

and Shanghai Kunqu Company, and the Shanghai Yueju Opera Troupe. The OAC's Saturday Brunch Concerts claim audiences of over every year.

Facilities

Architecture

The building was designed by French architect

Paul Andreu Paul Andreu (10 July 1938 – 11 October 2018) was a French architect, known for his designs of multiple airports such as Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, and multiple prestigious projects in China, including the National Centre for the Per ...

and the Huadong Architectural Design & Research Institute. The façades are mainly

laminated glass Laminated glass (LG) is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by a thin polymer interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), lonoplast polyme ...

incorporating perforated metal sheets. The dark

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

floors and multi-layered glass screen walls aim to create a softly diffused forest floor effect. The separate "petals" of the construction are hung with large distinctly colored pebbles to differentiate them.SHOAC
"Freezing Notes."
/ref> The backstage facilities include an Orchestra Rehearsal Hall, Choir Rehearsal Hall, Dance Rehearsal Hall, and Integrated Rehearsal Hall.

Concert Hall

The Concert Hall has 1953 seats, a computer-controlled elevating stage, and an 88- diapason 5-layer organ by

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

's Rieger Pipe Organ. It houses 2 VIP and 7 regular

dressing rooms A changing-room, locker-room, (usually in a sports, theater, or staff context) or changeroom (regional use) is a room or area designated for changing one's clothes. Changing-rooms are provided in a semi-public situation to enable people to ch ...

Opera Hall

The Opera Hall has 1015 seats, divided into three areas and designed to recreate the intimate experience of Italian opera houses. The

orchestra pit An orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music (such as opera and ballet) or in cases when incide ...

is and able to accommodate up to 100 musicians. The central stage provides computer-controlled side, ice, and ballet platforms in addition to the main large-scale platform. It houses 2 VIP and 15 common

Performance Hall

The Performance Hall has 333 seats and is modeled on semicircular Roman theaters. Its performance floor is golden Swiss

pearwood Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosacea ...

. It has 4

Exhibition Hall

The Exhibition Hall is located on the second floor of its petal of the Oriental Art Center. It covers and has high walls.SHOAC
"Auxiliaire Facilities."
/ref>

Other facilities

The venue also features ancillary public facilities, including the 100-seat Paris Shanghai French restaurant open daily for lunch and dinner, the Café Salon Etoile and an adjacent gift store, and 11

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

training classrooms. The Shanghai Gallery of Antique Music Boxes and Automata is located at the SHOAC, displaying over 200 antique

music box A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc to pluck the tuned teeth (or ''lamellae'' ...

es and European

automata An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...

, including the oldest extant music box in the world, constructed in 1796 by Antoine Favre-Salomon.SHOAC
"Antique Music Box Gallery."
/ref>

Outreach

The Oriental Art Center engages with the broader public through free admission days every month, reduced-fare student tickets, and weekly lectures on art and music appreciation.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Shanghai Tourist attractions in Shanghai Opera houses in China Theatres in Shanghai Culture in Shanghai Pudong