Xinghai Concert Hall

This guide to Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou opens with a single number acousticians whispered about on opening night in nineteen ninety-eight: zero years of retuning needed, unlike Sydney's decade-long fix or Lincoln Center's three years. It follows the South China University of Technology team's gamble on getting the room right in one attempt, from the raw concrete hyperbolic vaults overhead to the terraced seating modeled on rice paddies. You'll also hear about the composer whose name the hall carries, Xian Xinghai, who died far from the province that later claimed him. Listen for the reverberation as you move through the terraces.