Goodbye, ancient theatre

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6584525.stm

Ancient buildings are being replaced with modern structures in Beijing
City planners in the Chinese capital, Beijing, have decided to bulldoze one of the oldest opera houses in the country, according to state media.

The Guanghe Theatre, in Beijing's historic Qianmen district, will be replaced with a more modern venue.

The theatre, constructed in the final years of the Ming Dynasty, continued to stage opera until the 1970s.

Culture officials say the new opera house will be comparable to "those on Broadway in the United States."

The Guanghe Theatre was home to opera master Mei Lanfang, whose story was immortalised in the film, "Farewell My Concubine."

Xinhua news agency lamented the "remorseless" advance of the modern in Beijing.

"It appears that yet another of the country's cultural heirlooms is doomed," the state-run news agency said.

Originally built as a theatre and after a spell as the villa of a wealthy salt merchant, the building opened as an opera house during the final years of Qing dynasty emperor Qianlong (1711 - 1799).

I'm actually surprised at this, if only for the fact that it was in the movie and thus could have made a ton in tourist revenues as well as performance sales if properly maintained.