Guanghe Theatre Likely Razed

The Guanghe Theatre, which is located in the historic Qianmen quarter of Beijing, has become the target of city planners and will likely be shuttered in the near future.

The theatre dates back to the Ming Dynasty and was a fixture of the old city as a main venue for Peking opera performances.

The Xinhua news agency reported on April 23rd that the theatre has to be removed to make way for Beijing’s "remorseless" modernization plans, adding, "It appears that yet another of the country’s cultural heirlooms is doomed."