Are happy days here again?
- Source: Global Times
- [17:10 June 30 2010]
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Big World hopes to reach new heights of success. Photo: IC
By Liu Mengyue
When downtown's Big World complex shut down in 2003, few people believed it was really the end for Shanghai's premier indoor entertainment venue - a title it had held for close on 90 years. But the symbolic significance of its closure offered a timely reminder of how much, and how quickly, the city had changed.
In 2009, as the site was being dusted down and re-evaluated, the challenge facing developers was how to reinvent an indelible piece of the city's proud history, while avoiding the kind of outdated "entertainment" that contributed to its demise in the first place.
Built in 1917 by Huang Chujiu, one of the city's most successful businessmen, Big World (dashijie) located at the corner of Yanan Road East and Xizang Road was acclaimed as a kaleidoscopic emporium of fun: a place where revelers could enjoy everything from Chinese opera to acrobatics; from Hollywood movies to a vast array of cafes and restaurants. The four-story complex offered visitors a whole day's non-stop entertainment without having to leave the building. Many of the city old-timers have fond memories of the famous distorting mirrors, as well as the makeshift talent-shows where people were invited to show off unusual skills. However, some of the bawdier behavior among guests didn't always meet with the same approval. The famous Chinese writer Bing Xin once commented: "It's not a proper place for young women to have fun; and even young men might think twice about going there."
The first stage of the redevelopment - Big World's adjoining auditorium, the former Gong Stage - was slated to open in May to coincide with the Shanghai Expo launch, but the date was put back to "sometime in August." The Gong Stage will now become the new permanent home of the acrobatic troupe ERA Shanghai when it moves from its current location at Circus World out in Zhabei. For the grand opening the company will give its first ever performance of a new work entitled Kaleido, an extravaganza that will also feature singing and dancing.
The fact that the Gong Stage is being contracted to a single company for the next 10 years has obviously dictated how this cavernous space has been reimagined. "The general style is still very reminiscent of Old Shanghai from the 1920s and 1930s," Zhu Jianhua from the Hai Zhi Decoration company told the Global Times. "But the old stage was far too small, and was hardly suitable for the needs of a modern performance company. We think that the combination of state-of-the-art technology and such an old-fashioned building will provide a unique experience for audiences."
