China's Earliest Western-Style Theater, Now a World Heritage Site, Yet Hidden in a Bustling Area and Little Known

My recent trip to Macau was the longest I've ever taken there. Over five days, I visited many places and discovered quite a few hidden gems, all with a long history and rich culture, and many memorable stories left behind, yet they are hidden in the bustling city and little known. At least among mainland tourists, not many people know about them. Many people go to Macau just to try their luck, see the Ruins of St. Paul's and A-Ma Temple, stay in luxurious hotels, taste the unique cuisine of a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and that's it. Because in people's common impression, Macau is very small, only about 30 square kilometers, so small that you can see through it at a glance. At most, two days are enough to visit a few famous spots and take some pictures.

Actually, for those who truly understand Macau, there are too many places worth visiting. For example, 25 old buildings make up the World Heritage site—the Historic Centre of Macau. Each one is remarkable and worth visiting one by one. The well-known Ruins of St. Paul's is just one of them. To truly understand these old streets of Macau, including those within the World Heritage site, even a month is not enough. Really, the longer you stay, the more you find to do. Maybe just one old street, like Rua de Cinco de Outubro, would seem rushed even for a day. There are too many century-old shops, too much historical depth waiting to be discovered, recorded, and shared.

Walking in the Historic Centre of Macau, every so often you see a sign like the one above. It introduces a site and marks a World Heritage site. The Dom Pedro V Theatre (also known as Teatro Dom Pedro V) is one such site. Compared to the fame of the Ruins of St. Paul's and A-Ma Temple, the Dom Pedro V Theatre is truly little known. Unless you specifically look it up or someone tells you about it, many people, like me, would never know that Macau has such an ancient theatre, an important part of the World Heritage site.

Looking into its history, the Dom Pedro V Theatre is not simple. Originally named the Teatro de D. Pedro V, it was built in 1860, 160 years ago. It is the first Western-style theatre in China. At that time, only the main body was built, and in 1873 the neoclassical facade was added. It was mainly used for plays and concerts, and was an important venue for the Portuguese community's social events.

According to the staff, the theatre is 41.5 meters long and 22 meters wide. The ridge height of the Chinese-style sloping roof is 12 meters, and the eaves height is 7.5 meters. The road in front of the theatre is paved with small stones in a wave pattern. It is said that each cobblestone was shipped from Portugal. Many people may not understand why stones were shipped from Portugal. They were used as ballast stones: when Chinese goods were shipped to Portugal, stones were loaded on the way back to stabilize the ship in the vast ocean. After arriving in Macau, these stones were used as building materials; low-quality ones were only good for paving the ground.

The theatre is designed in the neoclassical Greek Revival style. It has a longitudinal layout, with a circular auditorium, a lobby in front, a stage at the back, and lounges on both sides. There are stairs in the lounges leading to the second-floor gallery. The gallery is crescent-shaped, supported by ten columns arranged in an arc on the ground floor.

Although the Dom Pedro V Theatre is now a World Heritage site, it is not owned by the state. It is managed by a few elderly people and is accountable to some shareholders. Occasionally there are performances, but when there are none, several elderly ladies arrange things in the spacious theatre: putting a painting here, a few dolls there. So in the theatre we saw many dolls of chicks, piglets, and other animals, very down-to-earth and amusing.

It is important to note that as China's first Western-style theatre, it was once a major venue leading China to accept Western art. Not only did it have China's earliest cinema screening room, but it was also the place where the famous opera Madama Butterfly had its Asian premiere. Remember, not just its Chinese premiere, but its Asian premiere. This alone shows its past glory and status.

The facade of the Dom Pedro V Theatre is a Roman arched portico 15.7 meters wide, topped with a triangular pediment. Below are three arches formed by four groups of Ionic columns. Each arch is about 3 meters wide. Looking out through the arches, there is an old banyan tree over a hundred years old next to the theatre, which together have witnessed the historical changes of Macau.

The eight outer columns are about 6 meters high. The decoration on the pediment and columns is simple, making the facade appear more majestic and towering. Unlike the front facade, the side facade facing the Largo de Santo Agostinho has nine Roman arched French windows, each 2.45 meters wide, continuously opening on the wall. This further enhances the horizontal sense and shows a robust demeanor, looking very beautiful. In 2005, as part of the Historic Centre of Macau, along with the Ruins of St. Paul's, A-Ma Temple, and more than twenty other old buildings, it was inscribed on the World Heritage list. Next time you have a chance to go to Macau, you must come and see it.