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Shanghai Grand Cinema Reopens
The Cinema Lobby
-by Christian Fleming
In a surprisingly tasteful fusion of old meets new, the Shanghai Daguangming Grand Cinema (大光明电影院) officially reopened last month after undergoing a year of renovations. The makeover did wonders to restore the beauty and opulence of the historic theater, while also updating it to accommodate a modern audience.
What is refreshing about these recent renovations, however, is that a great deal of effort was put into honoring the theater's illustrious past. The four-star cinema, located at 216 Nanjing West Road just north of People's Square, now features a collection of historic photos and informative write-ups scattered throughout the establishment celebrating the Grand Cinema's history. Not to disappoint long-time aficionados, the cinema has retained its lotus-shaped adornments and two tier seating arrangement while also adding a variety of screening rooms as well as elevators on either side of the theater.
While still under construction, theatergoers will also soon have the opportunity to partake in a self-guided walking tour on the ground floor which will feature a timeline of events from the theater's construction in 1928 up to the present, with all the milestones in between. The walking tour neatly surrounds the main theater hall and contains an assortment of old billboards, flyers, and photographs featuring movies such as The Man Who Laughs (the theater's first film) and actors such as Charlie Chaplin. There is also a small collection of items from the early days of the theater on display, such as an antique projector and some of the old telephones.
The theater's history walk
Some other updates include the ARK gourmet restaurant and lounge bar on the third floor, which opened on March 8th, serving a wide variety of local dishes from Shanghai and neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The 1,000 meter indoor area done in Art-Deco style is accompanied by an outdoor garden area which has limited seating, but features a stunning view of People's Square and the surrounding areas. The restaurant-cinema combination should be a great option for those who wish to catch a dinner and a movie.
The refurbished Shanghai Grand Cinema now sports six unique screening halls ranging from the original 1,554-seat theater on the first floor to a comfortable 25-seat viewing room on the third floor, where one can watch a movie in the ease of a large leather chair. All viewing rooms are equipped with a state-of-the-art Dolby Digital stereo system and have also been updated with new lighting systems to enhance the audio-visual experience.
While formerly showing primarily Western films during the 1930's and 1940's, the Grand Cinema now shows a wide variety of popular films from around the world, although movies from Hong Kong and Hollywood tend to occupy most time-slots.
Check out www.shdgm.com for complete movie listings with their price, time, and screening hall.
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The garden terrace
Constructed by the Hungarian architect Laszlo E. Hudec in 1928, the original Shanghai Grand Cinema enjoyed a very long and celebrated history, once dubbed "The Best Cinema of The Far East" by many Westerners who enjoyed attending the theater in the 1930's and 40's.
The outer theater was constructed in a very creative and imaginative modern style for the time. The cream-maize colored outer façade took the shape of a full mainsail blowing in the breeze against a crescent wave, accompanied by a brilliant water lily shaped three-tier roof. Meanwhile, the inner theater was marked by the opulence of crystal chandeliers and imported Italian marble, which gave the theater an elegant feel. These features made attending the Grand Cinema quite the status symbol among Shanghai's elite during the theaters early years.
On top of the theaters luxurious and graceful style, the Grand Cinema has also benefited from a long history of creativity and innovation in the industry. In 1939, the theater installed a simultaneous translation system which placed a personal earpiece in each of the main theater's then 1,913 seats. The owners of the Grand Cinema would hire a translator to narrate and interpret the dialogue of the Western movies to the largely Chinese audience.
The cinema was also marked by a series of firsts. For example, it was the first theater to offer widescreen viewing as well as the first to introduce a stereo system.
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Comments
Good strategy
The big name might be used for marketing purpose, along with quality increase and modernization. That's a good strategy. Anyway, the garden terrace is really simple and pretty.
I was really expecting it to
I was really expecting it to reopen soon and finally it has.Feeling great to see the great Cinema Theater opened again.It has definitely come up with an extraordinary renovation and the modern strategies added to the look and the beauty has really been awesome,specially the terrace with a real garden look.
it is one of the best cities
it is one of the best cities in the world and a great tourist spot to enjoy.
Well the blog is informative
Well the blog is informative and well developed when i recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.thanks for post.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
This cinema looks great and
This cinema looks great and there are many place in China which are beautiful and attractive. There should be a internet marketing for these kind of places.
Everybody was waiting for
Everybody was waiting for the re-open of this Grand Cinema and finally it's good to see that it has opened.The renovation work has been done greatly with typical touch of modern applications and strategies.The garden look of the terrace was really a unique idea and top notch thinking.
good initiative like black hattitude
I think it's a good thing to re-open this, maybe the will do private projection but not about democraty... Obama and its Black Hattitude should be a interesting thematic.
I was too waiting for the
I was too waiting for the grand re-opening of this great Cinema Theater.It was closed for a long time cos of the renovation work but everything seems more nicer than ever.New look, newly built features and additional stuffs has truly added more beauty to this Grand Theater in Shanghai
I was really expecting it to
I was really expecting it to reopen soon and finally it has.Feeling great to see the great Cinema Theater opened again.It has definitely come up with an extraordinary renovation and the modern strategies added to the look and the beauty has really been awesome,specially the terrace with a real garden look.
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Daguangming Grand Cinema
Daguangming Grand Cinema is famous in shanghai. It was built in 1928.
I visited China many times
I visited China many times but never had a chance to go to this Grand Cinema Theater.My friends there have been always telling me of this and requested me to make a visit once to experience the mind blowing environment.So as it's reopening after being renovated,I will surely be making a visit there next time.
This cinema looks great and
This cinema looks great and there are many place in China which are beautiful and attractive. There should be a internet marketing for these kind of places.
Well the blog is informative
Well the blog is informative and well developed when i recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.thanks for post.
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The big name might be used for marketing purpose, along with quality increase and modernization. That's a good strategy.
good news that the cinema
good news that the cinema reopens..
The cream-maize colored
The cream-maize colored outer façade took the shape of a full mainsail blowing in the breeze against a crescent wave, accompanied by a brilliant water lily shaped three-tier roof. Meanwhile, the inner theater was marked by the opulence of crystal chandeliers and imported Italian marble, which gave the theater an elegant feel. These features made attending the Grand Cinema quite the status symbol among Shanghai's elite during the theaters early years.Thanks for sharing the posts.
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nice theater..
nice theater..
Shanghai, commercial capital
Shanghai, commercial capital of China, finally has itself an art-house cinema. The Shanghai Hong Miao Art Film Center was opened on Tuesday night as one of the highlights of this year's Shanghai international Film Festival.
great cinema,
great cinema,
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It's really amazing. I was really expecting it to reopen soon and finally it has!
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Shanghai
Shanghai is one of the best cities in the world and a great tourist spot to enjoy.
congratulations for the
congratulations for the reopening of the cinema...
wow
this is good news that the cinema is already open..
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Historical place. It should be taken cared of. great work.
While formerly showing
While formerly showing primarily Western films during the 1930's and 1940's, the Grand Cinema now shows a wide variety of popular films from around the world, although movies from Hong Kong and Hollywood tend to occupy most time-slots.
Long Long hostory for ShangHai
I love ShangHai very much, first, it has a long long hostory and now is becoming more and more beautiful.
This is a wonderful cinema
This is a wonderful cinema
These features made
These features made attending the Grand Cinema quite the status symbol among Shanghai's elite during the theaters early years.Thanks for sharing the posts.
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I am glad that they have reopen.
Excellent account I want to
Excellent account I want to visit China, it looks like an amazing culture.
great blog!
great blog!
It's sad sometimes when the
It's sad sometimes when the old has to be changed but that's just life. The new cinema looks really great.
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Rich Shanghai
It seems Shanghai is the best rich city in China, So it is very beautiful.
nice posting
I love ShangHai very much, first, it has a long long hostory and now is becoming more and more beautiful.
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