Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Music Stage, Open-air theatre at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Nanjing, China

The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Music Stage is an open-air theater with a fan-shaped, semi-circular design centered on a performance area backed by an echo wall. This wall reflects sound across the sloped lawn where audiences gather.

Construction began in autumn 1932 and was completed in August 1933. The project cost 95,000 yuan, donated by Chinese Americans in San Francisco and the Kuomintang's Liaoning provincial branch. Yang Tingbao designed the stage, and the Liyuan Construction Company built it.

The stage blends architectural elements from ancient Greek theaters with traditional Jiangnan garden designs in ways you can see and experience when walking around the space. This fusion appears in the curved lines of the seating areas and the planted gardens surrounding the venue.

The sloped lawn can accommodate about 3000 spectators, who watch performances from tiered seating on the grass. Restrooms and storage areas are located beneath the stage platform for convenient access during events.

The 45 steps on each of the five radial walkways are not arbitrary: Sun Yat-sen was 45 years old when the Qing dynasty was overthrown. The three concentric paths divide the sloped lawn into twelve sections, and a 150-metre wisteria pergola with 36 columns and 36 flowerpots frames the outer rim.