« Peter Howell says it's over and it makes him sad | Main | Foundas finds foreign film foundering »
December 30, 2005
World's oldest cinema reopens in Beijing
China Daily's Beijing Weekend reports that the oldest cinema in the world has reopened: "Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Chinese [movies, Daguanlou Cinema], running 102 years since it opened in 1903, has just been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest operating movie theatre. With an investment of 5 million yuan (US$620,000) from the government and the support of China Ancient Architecture Research Centre, the cinema has regained its original look from the 1900s. It is like travelling between the past and present as visitors step into the century-old cinema. Though there is still that "new smell" in the new renovated theatre, people can easily find themselves lost down memory lane. Yellow glazed glass, black and white posters, long gowned ushers and richly ornamented corridors all take people back to the times of a century ago. "We just want to rekindle people's interest in the old cinema," said Wang Zhanyou, the 12th manager in the long history of the cinema: "Because in the last few years Da Guanlou has sustained losses," he sighed." [More history and anecdotage at the link.]
Posted by pride at December 30, 2005 12:55 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)