'Most complicated' opera house opens in Taiwan

The Taichung Metropolitan Opera House in Taiwan. (Photo/taiwan.xmtv)

(ECNS) -- Described as one of the world's nine new landmarks by the Discovery Channel, the Taichung Metropolitan Opera House (TMOH) has officially opened to the public in Taiwan.

The opera house is also described as the most complicated building in the world for its cave-like design.

It took nine years and NT$4.36 billion to build the exciting new cultural venue, which consists of three theaters: a 2,014-seat main auditorium, an 800-seat theater, and a 200-seat mini-theater. It is Taiwan's first opera house.

The opera house was designed by Toyo Ito, a well-known Japanese architect who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The inner designs are visible from the outside, but one of its most unique features is that no right angles can be seen inside the building. Some say it resembles a piece of cheese.

Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou led the ribbon cutting during the inaugural ceremony. The first performance held there was "Cat God" by the Ming Hwa Yuan Arts & Cultural Group.

According to Jason Hu, mayor of Taichung, the opera house demonstrates the highly civilized nature of the city. "One hundred years from now, no one will remember who built it, but it will still facilitate and drive the city's development," Hu said.