Nov.5 - The construction of the National Grand Theatre in China's capital is expected to be completed in July 2007, local government sources revealed on Sunday.

 

The theatre, designed by French architect Paul Andreu, will be put into use next autumn, the sources said.

 

The construction leadership team, which was founded in January 1998 as the top decision-making body for the project, had determined the theatre will be a non-profit organization for the public good. The municipal government of Beijing would take charge of its daily operation, the sources said.

 

The interior construction of the theatre is due to be finished by the end of this year. Work began in December 2001 after four years of deliberation by China's policy makers.

 

Located in the heart of Beijing, near the Great Hall of the People and Tiananmen Square, the theatre stands out from its surroundings with it titanium-clad dome shape.

 

The silver "tear drop", as some commentators have dubbed it, has sparked debate among domestic experts on whether such a modern design was appropriate for the center of Beijing. However, it was listed among the top 10 architectural top designs by the U.S.-based Journal Business Week for its energy-saving and environmentally friendly design.

 

The structure, covering 149,500 square meters, comprises three gigantic halls, including a 2,416-seat opera house, a 2,017-seat concert hall and a 1,040-seat theatre.

 

With an investment totaling 2.69 billion yuan (341 million U.S. dollars), the theatre was the biggest cultural project of China's 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-2005).