The majestic Beijing Performing Arts Centre, Beijing Library, and the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing shine like radiant gems, nestled within the "green sea" of the City Green Heart Forest Park. They are essential components of the urban sub-center's spatial planning layout of "one belt, one axis, two loops, and one core" serving as the finishing touch to the sub-center's blueprint alongside the city's green heart. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development being elevated to a national strategy. At the end of 2023, the three major cultural edifices in Beijing's urban sub-center were officially opened to the public. Since their inauguration, they have remained popular destinations for residents to visit and explore.
Beijing Performing Arts Centre
Due to its distinctive design resembling an ancient granary, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre is hailed as the "cultural granary." With a total gross floor area of 125,000 square meters, it comprises three distinct architectural structures, including a 1,760-seat opera house, a 1,500-seat concert hall, a 1,000-seat theater, a 500-seat studio theater, and four indoor theaters in total, as well as an outdoor amphitheater with fixed seating for 850. Notably, the opera house boasts the nation's largest and most comprehensive immersive sound system, while the grapevine-style concert hall features a prized "French Romantic" pipe organ. Here, cutting-edge technologies such as 8K, 5G, AR, VR, and panoramic sound converge, enabling audiences to witness the latest achievements in "art + technology."
In terms of artistic programming, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre places a stronger emphasis on diverse and contemporary art, fully leveraging the region's and its surroundings' advantages. Through unique art education and outreach programs such as the Art BPAC, Riverside Time Music Concerts, master classes, workshops, and community stages, it actively explores greater possibilities for public engagement.
Additionally, the National Grand Theater's existing brand-name activities for promoting classic arts, including classic art lectures, weekend concerts, and public space performances, will be transferred and adapted to align with the modern identity of the Beijing Performing Arts Centre, catering to a broader audience. Looking ahead, the Beijing Performing Arts Centre will adopt "art festivals" as the primary form of event organization, integrating theater performances, artistic events, and space utilization, successively planning and launching events such as the Canal International Art Festival, Musical Theatre Art Festival, Forest Music Festival, and thematic art week units featuring a diverse range of performances.
Beijing Library
Dubbed the "Forest Library," the Beijing Library spans a total area of approximately 75,000 square meters, with three above-ground floors and one underground level. Boasting a collection capacity of 8 million volumes and approximately 2,400 reading seats, it encompasses open reading areas, children's libraries, intangible cultural heritage document libraries, ancient literature libraries, art document libraries, as well as the Cosmic Library, 24-hour library, leisure service area, and cultural exchange zone.
The library strives to foster a reading ambiance reminiscent of "reading among mountains and under trees." The valley area showcases soaring ginkgo leaf-shaped roofs and a flowing decorative element akin to a celestial river, while various themed pavilions flank both sides. At the center, two pine trees stand tall, symbolizing a living dialogue between books and art. The valley area serves as a prime location for photo-taking and check-ins, highlighting all the library's attractions.
The reading area, nestled on terraced steps within the valley, is flanked by countless books neatly arranged on either side, with warm, yellow light streaming down from the ginkgo trees, creating a serene atmosphere.
The Beijing Library also includes a dedicated 24-hour leisure dining area, where visitors can immerse themselves in fresh greenery, admire exquisite cultural and creative displays, indulge in a gourmet coffee experience offered by the xbot latte art coffee robot, and savor moments of leisure and relaxation amidst comfortable seating arrangements.
The Grand Canal Museum of Beijing
Referred to as the "boat of the canal," the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing has a total construction area of approximately 99,700 square meters, comprising a shared hall, exhibition building (main building), and leisure water street. Of this, the above-ground area is 62,000 square meters, and the underground area is 37,700 square meters, integrating exhibition display, social education, cultural heritage preservation and restoration, collection management, and other functions.
The museum's design concept draws inspiration from the elements of boats, sails, and water found in ancient canal landscapes. The roof of the shared hall resembles a "boat," while the roof of the exhibition building resembles a "sail," with a leisure water street approximately 270 meters long and 20 meters wide between the two structures. When viewed from a distance, the exhibition building stands taller than the shared hall, with five sail-shaped roofs arranged at varying heights, creating a dynamic and visually captivating scene. Additionally, the facade of the exhibition building incorporates elements such as street intersections, awnings, and gatehouses, creating a scene reminiscent of a canal quay, blending seamlessly with the water system.
The Grand Canal Museum of Beijing delves into the intimate relationship between the Grand Canal and Beijing, centering on themes of people, water, and the city. It showcases Beijing's urban development history and construction achievements from a humanistic and geographical perspective and an ecological civilization standpoint, presenting a series of major exhibitions. Guided by Beijing's urban development plan and in line with the city's strategic positioning, the museum jointly interprets the relationship between 'capital' and 'city' from a historical and cultural perspective with the Capital Museum.
The exhibition system comprises basic displays, thematic exhibitions, open displays, and temporary exhibitions. Among them, the flagship basic display, "Jinghua Tonghui, Yujin Yongji - Beijing and Grand Canal Historical and Cultural Exhibition," vividly reconstructs the historical evolution of the Grand Canal chronologically organized through eight sections, featuring over 1,000 cultural relics and artworks. It highlights the close connection between the Grand Canal and Beijing, systematically presenting the humanistic and historical values along the canal.
