The Tianjin Opera Museum was converted from the Guangdong Guildhall.
It was by an accident that the opera museum had grown to its present size from the former Guangdong Guildhall. Guildhalls served as meeting places for businessmen engaged in various trades to talk over business. Such conventions would be entertained by theatrical performances. The theatre built in the guildhall occupies two thirds of the structure.
The building of the Guangdong Guildhall was completed in 1907. The Guangdong Guildhall was the last of its kind to be constructed. So appropriately enough it is now the Tianjin Opera Museum.
You can find wooden carvings in purple on all sides, adding to the traditional atmosphere. The theatre is supported by no columns, apart from small columns separating side booths; thus, there is no obstruction of view. The stage is not elevated too high, so a spectator can comfortably view he stage bye looking straight ahead from his seat without stretching his neck. The stage itself, 70 square meters in area, extends widely. The glass windows which wall the top of the theatre allow natural light to penetrate from the top floor so that no stage lights are needed during the matinee performance.
The structure's layout is in the style of a Baggage's connecting doors and halls of the main building with those of the eastern and western chambers and auxiliary houses are unified by a winding corridor. The structure is very austere in that its lines are rectangular and perpendicular. At the same time, it appears harmonious and steady, as the exquisite carving which make up the corners of the stage impart a sense of serenity and comfort.