The show must go on The show must go on

An opera doesn't have to be in session for guests to visit. The building is always open to the public, and features an open-air pavilion for performances, weddings, and picnics.

"It's art that people can look at, enter and use," says Ma. "I think that's what I want to bring to architecture. Beyond the functional -- the shape and the space and the light -- I want to bring atmosphere."

Proof of its success, perhaps, are the scores of Chinese couples flocking to the building to have their wedding photographs taken.

With such a subtly arresting facade, one might assume that the opera halls play second fiddle.

But MAD's nature-inspired design continues inside the two theaters.

Seemingly carved out of Manchurian Ash wood, the 1,600-guest Grand Theater feels rich and warm.

If it weren't for the skylights, sitting in here might feel like watching the opera from deep inside the belly of a tree.

With such a subtly arresting facade, one might assume that the opera halls play second fiddle.

But MAD's nature-inspired design continues inside the two theaters.

Seemingly carved out of Manchurian Ash wood, the 1,600-guest Grand Theater feels rich and warm.

If it weren't for the skylights, sitting in here might feel like watching the opera from deep inside the belly of a tree.

The Harbin Opera House's outdoor spaces feel like extensions of the snowy surrounds.

Nature is also part of the performance in the second, more intimate theater. This 400-guest venue features a sound-proof wall of windows which showcases a panoramic backdrop.

"The connection between the interior and the exterior landscape is very important to me," says Ma.

"I like when you sit there and you look at the natural light streaming in, and the concrete walls become natural waves like water flowing from outside."

Elsewhere in the building, wide wooden stairwells wind ethereally through the opera house, while light coming in through skylights bounces off the sparkling white walls.