A scene from the comedy A Blurry Kind of Love.[Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

The new theater will not only put on plays but also function as a training center for young theater talent in the town.

Hua Wenyi, director of Huichang County Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television, says the new town center project, which covers about 10 hectares where three rivers, the Xiang Shui, Mian Shui and Gong Shui, join, will be completed by 2019.

Architects surveyed every single house and are determined that historically important houses will be safeguarded and renovated. One of those houses is one that Lai's family used to live in.

The ancient city wall, stretching more than 1,000 meters and dating from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), will be preserved as a scenic spot nearby the new city center.

"There has been no theater culture in Huichang and we want to build this new center into a name card for the town," says Hua, adding that the project is costing 400 million yuan ($60.6 million).