Danang/Hue/HoiAn 2025 - Hue Day Tour Hue Citadel and Imperial City (5/8)

Although we could see the big house palace from the entrance, our tour guide took us on a detour to see other parts of the imperial city before she lead us to the main attraction. Through gates and corridors we walked, along empty courtyards. 

Eventually we came to a stopped in front of a grand building at this very courtyard. 

There were multiple entrance that could lead to this courtyard, and we soon learned that we were standing in front of the imperial theatre. Just like in Bejing's Forbidden Palace, there are also interior royal theatre house inside the palace. After all, even the palace people need to be entertained in a time without TV and internet!

 

The royal theatre here was a lot more modern, with a building itself that houses a stage, a main audience sitting area, and balcony seatings on the second floor as well. It was very well maintained, with it's red themed seats and elaborated decorations all over the walls and ceilings.

It was part Asian, part French in the way of it being a theatre. The red reminded me more of the old theatre in France than it did of China's outdoor courtyard style opera stages. It looked very grand and rich and could probably housed hundreds of people. 

The chairs were made of wood and carved with designs. Dragons are also found almost everywhere in the decorations around the theatre. The interior looked like it was all made of wood, and their reflection shinning out when lighted up by the lights around the theatre. 

Very pretty to look at! 

And at the front center of the building was the stage with it's two floors, and another huge dragon at the center stage. Again, everything was just red and gold here, with a hint of yellow here and there. It actually looked like still a very functional theatre. 

There were some exhibition around the side of the theatre as well as on the side and back of the stage. Mainly it features the masked used in the plays and performances. They looked very much like the mask used in Chinese performances. 

Here showing some collection of masked at one corner of the theatre.