Published on : 26/04/2024
When talking about cultural landmarks in Guangzhou, you must know places like Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou Opera House, and Guangzhou Library. These places are all located near the Canton Tower, where they are also the popular tourist spots.
But now, there is a new cultural landmark! It is The Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Centre located in the south of Shamian Island, the Pearl River. With designs just like a "swan on the river", the Centre is an important cultural icon in Guangdong with many features. What are they? Here we go.
3 Buildings form a beautiful giant "swan"
In the night, when you are looking at the riverside of Baietan Business District, you may see a giant "swan" sitting peacefully on it. It is the newly established Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Centre.
The "swan" is made up of by three main buildings. They are the Guangdong Museum of Art, the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Centre, and the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Centre, shaping the "swan" elegantly showing a new sense of Lingnan culture.
Located at the convergence of the Pearl River in the Bai'etan business district, directly across from Shamian, the Greater Bay Area Art Center stands as a prominent structure, reaching a height of 78.5 meters with 11 floors above ground and two underground.
It is designed by He Jingtang, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and his team from the South China University of Technology. The art centre acts as a swan and also draws its architectural inspiration from the silhouette of a grand white cruise ship ready to set sail, embodying the rich cultural essence and artistic allure of Guangzhou.
The first large-scale glazed ceramic curtain wall ever in China
In addition to its unique design, the materials used for the Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Centre are also extraordinary. It is the first time using large scale of glazed ceramic plates and glazed glasses to build the main body of the Centre.
It makes the surface of the building a large outdoor screen for displaying and video showing possible. Ceramics are a kind of traditional Chinese craft and also are a good heat insulator which can better reduce the temperature inside the centre.
Pipes of special lights hidden here and there create fantastic lighting effect at night. It is a good place for photography taking for sure.
Inside the Centre, the ceilings, walls, and floors are all decorated with natural marble, making the whole spaces full of harmony.
Guangdong Art Museum – a collection of Chinese and foreign cultural works
The "neck" of the white swan is the 11-storey-high building called Guangdong Art Museum. The museum has an exhibition area reaching 19,000 square metres, nearly twice the areas of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
The Guangdong Art Museum sets a large exhibition hall that can accommodate up to 350 people, meeting the demand for large scale of exhibition, international reports release, as well as cultural performances.
Guangzhou's largest building for Intangible Heritage Culture
The "body" of the swan is the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Display Centre. It has the largest and most advanced venue for intangible heritage Culture performances in Guangzhou.
The ceiling and walls are made of special materials to meet the acoustical standards the same as those in grand theatres and concert halls.
With a venue that can accommodate over 500 people, it is a new landmark for performance of traditional music, operas, dances, and other intangible heritage projects.
Guangdong Literature Hall - a hub for "light and shadow" arts
The elegant "tail" of the swan stands for the Guangdong Literature Hall.
Historically, Guangzhou is the origin of the Maritime Silk Road, so the development of Baietan represents the cultural development of it. The Guangdong Literature Hall is built to show the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" in the Greater Bay Area to the whole.
The centre is using a number of big walls using light or shadow effects to tell various Chinese cultural stories, in the forms of dramas, documentaries, and adaptations of foreign literary works etc.
A long corridor along the sea – an excellent view of Pearl River
A long atrium is set up on the third floor of the Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Centre, connecting the three buildings. With four gardens, it is a must-visit spot for a beautiful view of the Pearl River and landmarks such as Shamian Island and Guangzhou Tower.
In addition, there is also a waterfront terrace along the river outside the Arts Centre, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Pearl River, including Shamian Park, the White Swan Hotel and the Zhoutouzui Park, which are just across the river.
Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Arts Centre
Transportation: Exit B1 of Fangcun Metro Station
Ticket price: Free
Reservation: Search for "Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Centre" on WeChat mini program
