Cathay Theatre

This guide to the Cathay Theatre in Shanghai opens on its scandalous New Year's Day 1932 debut, when armrest-free double seats made it the boldest date spot in a buttoned-up city, complete with live-translation headsets for its opening film. It follows the Art Deco cinema through the Cultural Revolution, when its name was stripped away and replaced with a plainer, more obedient one. A 2003 renovation later carved the grand single hall into three smaller screens, though the lobby's original marble floor still remains.