The Shunyi Grand Theater officially opened on May 30 with the launch of week-long events, announced its operators in Shunyi, Beijing.

As an inseparable part of the cultural development in Shunyi, the theater, together with its library, cultural center and museum, aims to benefit locals.

The theater made its debut with a national opera "Yimeng Mountain Range". The performance is a tribute to the revolutionary heroes based on real stories from Yimeng during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

"I'd been waiting for this moment for a very long time," said an audience member surnamed Liu from Shunyi, who took her seat in the theater to watch the opera.

Another opera "Nice to meet you", targeted at children, was also staged Sunday. It is a humorous and heart-warming story of a parent-child bond that features dinosaurs.

Li Jinsheng, secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd. (CAEG) pointed out that the theater will integrate and make good use of the resources of the group and the Shunyi region as well as external advantages to create an international theater brand, providing citizens with first-class performances at home and abroad.

Following the city's Tianqiao Performing Arts Center in Xicheng district, the theater will take advantage of its geographical advantage to foster the cultural development in the northern part of Beijing, said Wang Long, its managing director.