Friendship Theatre, theatre in Guangzhou, China
Friendship Theatre is a 1,560-seat auditorium at 696 Renmin North Road in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. Designed by Yu Junnan and Mai Yuxi of the Guangzhou Design Institute and built by the Guangzhou First Construction Engineering Company, it incorporates Lingnan garden elements: pavilions, corridors, flower paths and fountains. The soft-seated hall has air conditioning and high-quality sound equipment.
Built with state funding on the site of the former Guihuagang West Muslim cemetery, the theatre was approved by Vice Premier Tao Zhu and completed in August 1965. It was renovated from 2009 and reopened on 12 April 2010. In January 2014 the Guangzhou municipal government listed it as a historic building.
The name refers to the friendship between China and the socialist states: the theatre hosted the Royal Ballet of the United Kingdom and the Staatsballett Berlin. The calligraphic characters "Friendship" at the site were written by the painter and calligrapher Liu Haisu.
The theatre stands at 696 Renmin North Road in Yuexiu District, next to Guangzhou Railway Station, reachable by metro lines 2 and 5 and by buses stopping at the Friendship Theatre and Guangzhou Railway Station stops. The 1,560-seat auditorium is air-conditioned, so it is usable year-round. The building sits inside a Lingnan-style garden with pavilions, flower paths and fountains, which can be walked before a performance.
The theatre stands on the former Guihuagang West Muslim cemetery, and its name was written on site by painter and calligrapher Liu Haisu. Foreign companies have performed here, including the Royal Ballet of the United Kingdom and the Staatsballett Berlin. The 2009–2010 renovation was directed by the provincial culture department, and in 2014 the city listed the building as a historic structure.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,332 contributors worldwide.