Chinese National Theater

I was also able to tour another impressive landmark I had seen during the Beijing Olympics- the Chinese National Theater.

The theater is surrounded by water and you enter the building underground and actually walk underneath the water into the main theater area.

This is the glass ceiling hallway that I walked under

It houses 3 separate theaters, cafes, a bookstore, as well as several exhibits about the building and the Chinese opera. This is one of the elaborate costumes in the exhibit.

The architecture inside is just as amazing as the outside.

Wood panels on the roof

I came at the perfect time because I was able to watch both the Beijing orchestra (pictured below) and the ballet rehearsing

I wasn't able to see the theater all lit up like this, so I took a photo of the photo in the exhibition.