Great Shanghai Theatre

Great Shanghai Theatre

The Great Shanghai Theatre is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

Great Shanghai Theatre

Situated at No. 520 Middle Tibet Road, the theatre was established by Lianyi Company. It was built in 1932 (the 21st year of the Republic of China) and completed in November of the following year. Designed by architects Zhao Shen, Chen Zhi, and Tong (full name not provided) from the HuaGai Architecture Firm, and constructed by Jiujì Construction Company, the building features a five-story reinforced concrete frame structure and covers an area of approximately 1,161 square meters, with a total floor space of 3,300 square meters. The front section of the building has five floors, while the rear houses the auditorium. The layout is compact, and the auditorium includes a basement below. The auditorium is divided into two levels: the lower level has over 990 seats, and the balcony has over 760 seats. The entrance hall is two stories high and features a circular gallery leading to the balcony. The exterior façade has a black polished marble cladding at the ground-floor entrance. Above the entrance, there were originally eight illuminated neon light columns extending to the top, which were hailed at the time as “a crystallization of ingenious design.” The interior of the auditorium also incorporates streamlined decorative elements. The structure, architectural style, and materials used all reached a high standard of international cinema architecture for that period, making it a notable representative work by prominent Chinese architects. In 1956, it was renamed the Great Shanghai Cinema; in 1967, it was briefly called the Zunyi Cinema; and in 1972, it reverted to the Great Shanghai Cinema. Early this century, it was demolished and rebuilt on the original site, connecting with the north building of the Zhongbai Yi Store. It was designated as a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai in 1989.