A groundbreaking ceremony was held today to inaugurate the construction work on the Shenzhen Opera House, marking new progress in Shenzhen’s eventual plan to build 10 new major cultural landmarks in the new era.

Located on the south side of Shekou New Street, the east side of The Peninsula housing estate, the west side of Shenzhen Bay Bridge, and adjacent to Shenzhen Bay in the south, the Shenzhen Opera House will have a total construction area of 210,000 square meters, including an opera hall, a concert hall, a multifunction theater and supporting facilities. 

A groundbreaking ceremony is held today to inaugurate the construction work on the Shenzhen Opera House. File photo

As one of Shenzhen’s 10 new major cultural landmarks in the new era, the opera house will be built into a world-class palace of art, a new platform for international cultural exchange in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a new landmark of art and culture in Shenzhen, and a globally renowned cultural tourism destination.

The project has been highly anticipated as it is beautifully located within the city’s typical mountain-and-sea landscape. In March 2021, “Light of Sea,” the proposal of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, won the first prize in the international architecture competition for the opera house’s design.

Upon completion, the project is projected to have the capacity to undertake the world’s top-levelperformancesof operas, dances and symphonies, and to facilitate the creation of original operas and dances.

A computer-generated image of the Shenzhen Opera House.

Chen Shihua, director of the Shenzhen Opera House project, said in an interview that the project also includes a 20,000-square-meter cultural block, which is tasked to provide supporting services such as tours, exhibitions, training and catering.

“In addition to providing a professional venue for performances, the Shenzhen Opera House project will also bring a pleasant, semi-outdoor space with Lingnan characteristics by erecting a large roof of more than 100,000 square meters,” said Chen. “This space will seamlessly connect with the existing coastal recreational area, so that tourists can naturally access this space for enjoyment of an artistic atmosphere after a seaside tour.”

A computer-generated image of the interior of Shenzhen Opera House.

Shenzhen unveiled the plan to build 10 cultural landmarks in the new era at the end of 2018. The Shenzhen Art Museum (new venue) and the Shenzhen Library North, which are located in Longhua District, officially opened to the public late last year as the first two of the landmarks to have been completed.