Did you know that the Shunde People’s Auditorium was once the largest county-level auditorium in China? It stands before us a testament to a time of great ambition. Its story is etched in every brick.
The Shunde People’s Auditorium is located beside Zhonglou Park on Mao Yun Hill in Daliang. Construction began in mid-October 1958. It finished in mid to late September of the following year. The entire construction period lasted eleven months. It was proudly put into use on National Day October 1st, 1959. This marked the tenth anniversary of the nation.
This auditorium covers a total construction area of 14,100 square meters. The main hall is the heart of the auditorium. It has 5,000 seats. 3,800 are on the ground floor. The second-floor balcony holds 1,200 seats. The auditorium’s interior has no pillars supporting the roof. It was the largest county-level auditorium in the country at that time.
Back then building materials were scarce. Technical expertise was limited. The entire construction process unfolded under challenging conditions. It was a “three-pronged” approach of “designing, constructing and preparing materials simultaneously.”
For example stone was carried by hand from Daliang streets. Many of the bricks came from dismantling ancestral halls. They also came from community schools and even some residential houses. Serendipitously in 1959 Panyu merged with Shunde. This brought stone timber and bricks from Panyu.
There were no modern tower cranes during construction. There was also no mechanized bricklaying. Everything relied on manual labor. People worked over twelve hours each day. The thin-shell concrete arch roof was the most difficult part. Management and construction staff formed teams. They worked day and night in shifts.
They famously completed the “empty belly arch frame concrete mixing project” in three days. They also finished the “top cover large thin shell” in seven days and six nights. This showcased the collective fighting spirit of the time. The Shunde People’s Auditorium was a landmark for Shunde. It also represented a major technological achievement in China’s construction industry. The 55-meter span of its concrete thin shell roof was larger than that of Guangzhou’s Zhongshan Memorial Hall by 17 meters. This span was the largest in the country. It was the second largest in the world at the time.
Picture the scene. The people of Shunde gathered here. They attended meetings. They listened to reports in the open air. They sat on the steps of Zhonglou Park.
Today the Shunde People’s Auditorium stands as a proud symbol of Shunde’s spirit. It embodies unity hard work pragmatism and innovation. Its stone gray walls and red lacquered window frames create a beautiful and grand aesthetic.
Notice the podium to the east. The terrain slopes from west to east. The white walls green window frames and golden railings create a majestic atmosphere. The auditorium could accommodate many people. The thin-shell concrete roof is a sight to behold. The Shunde People’s Auditorium is a testament to human ingenuity and collective effort.