Located Nanmenli Street of Nankai district in Tianjin City, the Tianjing Museum of Theatre, founded in 1985 and opened to the public on January 1, 1986, is the first specialized opera museum in China.
Covering an area of over 2,300 square meters, the museum is housed in the building formerly known as the Guangdong Guildhall, which was built from 1903 to 1907. The former guildhall has an elaborate and luxurious central hall where opera is performed. The two-storeyed building, adopting an excellent design and sonic technology, can accommodate an audience of about 400 to 600 people.
The museum preserves the lists of plays of the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the early years of the Republic of China. Famous artists such as Mei Lanfang, Yang Xiaolou, Tan Fuying and Shang Xiaoyun all once staged performances here.
The museum is also a revolutionary memorial. In 1912, Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing delivered speeches here; in 1919, Deng Yinchao performed new plays on the stage to raise money for the education of displaced little girls and propagandize the May Fourth spirit; in 1925, Communist Party member An Xingsheng organized over twenty trade unions and set up the Tianjin Federation of Trade Unions in this place to guide the general strike of seamen.
The museum also deploys the Display of Tianjin Theatre, which exhibit theatre in Tianjin from the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) to the contemporary time.
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