Forming and Performing: Conditioning the Concept of Chinese Space in the Case of National Theatre of China

This article will examine the case of National Theatre of China, one of the most iconic buildings that have been looming in the skyline of Chinese metropolises in recent years. They are known to the Chinese public for their unprecedented, and often nicknamed, architectural types. Critics tend to deem such examples of contemporary Chinese architecture from recent waves of urban development as merely “bizarre,” taking wacky building forms as the dishonorable outcome of a corrupt conspiracy between capital and politics. Instead of making a similar judgment, this article will discuss the case of the National Theatre as a wishful cultural practice in the context of a complicated sociopolitical drama. The discussion will elaborate on three core issues emerging in the transformation of contemporary Chinese public space: (1) how the meaning of the architectural “face” changes as the urban “body” is redefined, (2) how formal and technical means enhance or weaken the psychological impact that an innovative and adventurous building might have on its patrons, and (3) how rigid urban planning is reconciled with a more dynamic and active theatric space that turns the city itself into an improvised stage