THE historic Great Theater of China near People’s Square will reopen by the end of the year after a major renovation to restore its original look, officials said yesterday.

The theater at 704 Niuzhuang Road in downtown Huangpu District was built in 1929 as one of the city’s four major Peking Opera venues.

Peking Opera masters Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu and Yuan Shihai often performed in the theater. From the 1950s, it became a popular stage for locals to watch all kinds of Chinese traditional operas. The building was listed as a city-level protected historic structure in 2005.