Zhengzhou

Historic locale, new landmarks

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-17 07:59

Concert at the newly built Henan Art Center.

After six years of development, a modern and dynamic new urban area is now emerging in the east of Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan province.

The Zhengdong New District, now the central business district (CBD) of Zhengzhou, already has a number of landmark buildings that attract the attention of both locals and tourists.

The most eye catching are the Zhengzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center and the Henan Art Center.

Exhibition center

Construction of the Zhengzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center, designed in the shape of a sailing ship, started in January 2003, marking the inception of Zhengzhou New District.

Located at the core of the CBD, the center is a 227,600 sq m complex with separate convention and exhibition centers.

The convention center has a total floor space of 60,800 sq m, including the main conference hall - the Xuanyuan Hall - which can accommodate 3,160 people . It also has dozens of medium and small-sized conference rooms along with dining rooms and cafes.

The exhibition center is a 166,800 sq m facility with two exhibition halls that can hold 3,560 standard booths. With a roof span of 102 m, its design allows it to be further divided into six exhibition halls.

The site also has an adjacent 38,000 sq m outdoor exhibition area .

In 2007, the complex won the Lu Ban Award, the nation's highest award for construction.

Art center

Another landmark in the area is the Henan Art Center.

Built at a cost of 1 billion yuan and covering 77,000 sq m of floor space, it is the largest cultural facility in Henan province.

The project broke ground in December 2003 and was completed in November 2007.

The appearance of the buildings in the complex resembles three ancient Chinese musical instruments - the ceramic xun, stone paixiao and stone flute. Such instruments, used as far back as 8,000 years ago, have been discovered in sites in or near Zhengzhou.

The art center has a 1,800-seat theater, an 800-seat concert hall, a smaller theater with 380 seats and two galleries.

Historic locale, new landmarks