A weeklong festival was held in April 1999 to mark the reopening, and became an important cultural event in the city that year.

The year 1999 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. At that time, Beijing only had one professional concert hall to stage classical music — Beijing Concert Hall, recalls Zhang, 78.

"With the reopening of the Forbidden City Concert Hall, people had another place to go to enjoy music. Since it's located inside the beautiful Zhongshan Park, coming to the Forbidden City Concert Hall has become a joyful trip not only to enjoy art but also have a great time in the park," he says.

"Since 1999, we decided to run the weeklong festival every year, making it an annual event to commemorate the reopening."

Conductor Tan, the former head of Beijing Symphony Orchestra, says that when the venue was renovated in 1999, it was used as a home for the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, where he and the orchestra did rehearsals and gave many performances.

"It's like a home to me," Tan says.

"The venue has also witnessed the growing fan base of classical music in the capital, especially young people."

Tan is credited with co-launching the Gateway to Arts summer festival, an annual event that started in 1995 and has become one of Beijing's biggest arts festivals for children during the summer vacation.

Now, every summer, the two-month festival offers children not only live performances and public lectures but also summer camps. These feature diverse classes, including classical music, traditional Chinese operas and Chinese instrumentation.

"I am very proud that we have run the place for 25 years and launched many festivals that have become our popular brands," says Xu Jian, general manager of the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

The former volleyball player has been in charge of the venue since 2002. She can still remember the first show she ever watched there. It was a performance by a children's choir led by the late music educator Yang Hongnian (1934-2020) on May 31, 1995.

"The kids choir stood in the hallway of the venue, singing songs to welcome the audience. It was a very touching moment," Xu recalls.

"During the past 25 years, the venue survived many difficult times, such as the pandemic, and we have built a deep connection with our audiences."

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn