New performing arts center springs up on the Bund
An artist's rendering of the NEW BUND 31 Performing Arts Center
A cultural and commercial complex featuring a performing arts center along the Huangpu River is scheduled to open in July next year, fueling Shanghai's building of an international cultural metropolis.
New Bund 31, a 215,000-square-meter mixed-use development project in Qiantan, the Pudong New Area, consists of a state-of-the-art performing arts center, retail space, an office tower and a boutique hotel.
The New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center will be comprised of a 2,500-seat theater with professional acoustic design and the Black Box Arts Space, where diversified art performances such as theater dance, musical dramas, fashion design and video technology will be staged.
The performing arts center recently signed strategic partnership agreements with JZ Music, Modernsky Entertainment Co, SMG Live and Taihe Music Group to develop musical dramas, jazz and guochao (China-chic) folk music performances to create a new cultural and entertainment landmark in Shanghai.
An artist's rendering of the New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center
The JZ Festival will be held at the center every October, according to JZ Music, while SMG Live will bring musical dramas and dance dramas to the center stage, injecting new art vitality into NEW BUND 31.
The complex is jointly developed by Shun Tak Holdings (Hong Kong) and Lujiazui Group (Shanghai).
Culture is the soul of a city, and the Shanghai cultural brand featuring a mixture of haipai (Shanghai-style) and Jiangnan cultures, cultures in regions south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is shining.
Last year, more than 38,000 performances were staged in the city, offering diversified options for audiences. The city now boasts 31 theaters and performance venues. The box-office revenue of modern dramas last year hit 209 million yuan (US$30 million) in the city, and it reached 114 million yuan for concerts and 106 million yuan for musical dramas.
Shanghai has nearly 250 museums and art galleries where about 2,000 exhibitions are held every year with 20 million visits recorded annually.
A number of new cultural venues are blooming along the Huangpu River, expanding the city's cultural map and satisfying the growing cultural appetite of the public, according to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.
A public cultural service circle within 10 minutes walk in the downtown areas and 15 minutes walk in the city suburbs has essentially formed.
An artistic rendering of New Bund 31
