This subterranean gem feels like a found space in the heart of the new urban fabric. The design responds to the local context, introducing elements and materials that evoke a modern re-interpretation of Chinese architectural repertoires and traditions that characterize the Xi’an region. This design vocabulary is seamlessly embodied throughout all spaces, from the city scale down to the smallest of human scales. The venue experimented with the notion of poetic exuberance, exchanging spatial dialogues between permanence and ephemerality, hard and soft, light and dark, compression and contraction. The elevated vestibule forms the primary public threshold to the main theatre and the performance space. It also serves as a multi-functional space for creative events and exhibitions. Inspired by the traditional Chinese ‘Lián Láng’ — a connecting structure between buildings — a modern interpretation has been composed in a spatial arrangement of 8000 pieces of finely crafted bronze metal flutes, finely honed and detailed using local craftsmanship. These sculptural flutes are suspended from the ceiling; cantilevered from the walls; and rise from the floor. In the centre of the space, a 13m long metallic draping veil provides a contrasting softness and juxtaposes the verticality of the flutes. Together they create an emotionally uplifting spectacle and a sense of ‘Weightless Suspension’.