Beijing People's Art Theater opened its new venue, the Beijing International Theater Center, on Sept 2.

That night, the center staged Sunrise, a classic play written by playwright Cao Yu and directed by Feng Yuanzheng, and will soon debut new renditions of Cao's two other works, Thunderstorm and The Wilderness.

Located to the east of the Capital Theater, the main performance space for the Beijing People's Art Theater, this new venue marks the completion of a key project in building Beijing into a national cultural center as well as a major spatial expansion for the theater company.

"The Beijing International Theater Center consolidates the dreams and efforts of generations of people working at Beijing People's Art Theater. It will help the theater create, showcase and bring together better stage works in the future, and better serve the capital's cultural scene," says Ren Ming, president of Beijing People's Art Theater.